Matchstick Men
2003 · 116 min · Director: Ridley Scott
Show plot summary (may contain spoilers)
Meet Roy and Frank, a couple of professional small-time con artists. What Roy, a veteran of the grift, and Frank, his ambitious protégé, are swindling these days are "water filtration systems," bargain-basement water filters bought by unsuspecting people who pay ten times their value in order to win bogus prizes like cars, jewelry and overseas vacations--which they never collect. These scams net the flim-flam men a few hundred here, another thousand there, which eventually adds up to a lucrative partnership. Roy's private life, however, is not so successful. An obsessive-compulsive agoraphobe with no personal relationships to call his own, Roy is barely hanging on to his wits, and when his idiosyncrasies begin to threaten his criminal productivity he's forced to seek the help of a psychoanalyst just to keep him in working order. While Roy is looking for a quick fix, his therapy begets more than he bargained for: the revelation that he has a teenage daughter--a child whose existence he suspected but never dared confirm. What's more troubling, 14-year-old Angela wants to meet the father she never knew. At first, Angela's appearance disrupts her neurotic father's carefully ordered routine. Soon, however, with his own unique spin on parenthood, Roy begins to enjoy a relationship he never dreamed of having with his daughter. But while he develops paternal feelings for the 14-year-old, she's developing a fascination with Daddy's questionable career.
Emotional fingerprint
Matchstick Men (2003) — Movie. Top emotional signals: Humor 25%, Confusion 25%, Empathy 20%. Source: AI estimate. Shares describe emotional signal, not percentages of people. Your experience may differ. How we measure
AI estimate · no viewer votes yet
How we measure
AI estimate
Share of emotional signal, not the percentage of people or a probability of enjoyment.
Each viewer contributes one response, split equally across their selected emotions. When available, an automated estimate supplies a prior that is blended with those responses. Counts include distinct viewers, not automated estimates or archived anonymous votes. Fewer than 3 viewers is an early estimate; more responses do not guarantee certainty.
Why it feels this way
The strongest emotional signals are Humor, Confusion, Empathy. Genres: Comedy, Drama, Crime. AI estimate.
Is it worth watching?
Consider this title if you are looking for Humor, Confusion and Empathy. Its IMDb rating of 7.2/10 suggests a generally positive audience reception. For these leading emotions, its Feel Score is 70/100.
How did it make you feel?
Votes are saved to the fingerprint once you’re signed in.
Pick up to three · 0/3
Emotional journey
- Curiosity
- Tension
- Empathy
Not enough subtitle evidence
No dominant emotion
Dominant emotion: Curiosity
Dominant emotion: Empathy
Dominant emotion: Love
Dominant emotion: Tension
Dominant emotion: Sadness
Dominant emotion
| % | Approximate minute | Dominant emotion | Overall intensity | Curiosity | Tension | Empathy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5 % | ≈ 3′ | Curiosity | 37 % | 37 % | 16 % | 15 % |
| 7.5 % | ≈ 9′ | Curiosity | 40 % | 39 % | 24 % | 26 % |
| 12.5 % | ≈ 15′ | Curiosity | 44 % | 40 % | 30 % | 36 % |
| 17.5 % | ≈ 20′ | Empathy | 48 % | 41 % | 28 % | 44 % |
| 22.5 % | ≈ 26′ | Empathy | 49 % | 43 % | 26 % | 43 % |
| 27.5 % | ≈ 32′ | Curiosity | 44 % | 39 % | 26 % | 31 % |
| 32.5 % | ≈ 38′ | Love | 41 % | 34 % | 24 % | 25 % |
| 37.5 % | ≈ 44′ | Love | 45 % | 35 % | 29 % | 28 % |
| 42.5 % | ≈ 49′ | Tension | 49 % | 41 % | 39 % | 31 % |
| 47.5 % | ≈ 55′ | Curiosity | 50 % | 46 % | 39 % | 31 % |
| 52.5 % | ≈ 61′ | Curiosity | 50 % | 45 % | 34 % | 31 % |
| 57.5 % | ≈ 67′ | Love | 56 % | 44 % | 43 % | 31 % |
| 62.5 % | ≈ 73′ | Tension | 69 % | 45 % | 61 % | 34 % |
| 67.5 % | ≈ 78′ | Tension | 75 % | 40 % | 66 % | 49 % |
| 72.5 % | ≈ 84′ | Sadness | 75 % | 34 % | 61 % | 63 % |
| 77.5 % | ≈ 90′ | Love | 78 % | 39 % | 68 % | 64 % |
| 82.5 % | ≈ 96′ | Tension | 80 % | 54 % | 75 % | 61 % |
| 87.5 % | ≈ 102′ | Curiosity | 76 % | 59 % | 59 % | 60 % |
| 92.5 % | ≈ 107′ | Sadness | 69 % | 41 % | 27 % | 59 % |
| 97.5 % | ≈ 113′ | Love | 63 % | 23 % | 9 % | 55 % |
Cinderella
Rags to riches: The emotional tone rises from negative to positive.
Riches to rags: The emotional tone falls from positive to negative.
Man in a hole: The tone falls, then recovers.
Icarus: The tone rises, then falls.
Cinderella: The tone rises, falls, then rises again.
Oedipus: The tone falls, rises, then falls again.
AI reading of the film’s English subtitles (dialogue and sound cues) — not viewer votes. How we measure ↗
Kadri — your film companion
AIAsk anything about Matchstick Men. From the film’s own dialogue and FeelDB data, at your spoiler level.
Afterward Reveal viewer responses · may contain spoilers
Viewer responses about feelings after the title ended, separate from feelings while watching. No AI estimates.
0 responses so far
Feeling details appear after at least 3 viewers respond, to protect privacy.
Cast
Pharmacist #1
Pharmacist #2
Man in Line
Bank Clerk
Bank Teller
Long Winded Parking Booth Driver
Stripper
Details
- Directed by
- Ridley Scott
- Written by
- Ted Griffin, Eric Garcia, Nicholas Griffin, Ted Griffin
- Type
- Movies
- Released
- 2003
- Runtime
- 116 min
- Country
- United States
- Ratings
- Feels mostly
- Humor
- Data updated
Where to watch
Rent
Feels similar
More like this →Emotion overlap shows mood similarity, not a prediction of enjoyment.
