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Roger Ebert defined the "idiot plot" as being a story which would only make sense if the characters were idiots. Well, in "Things to Do in Denver if You're Dead," too many of the stars meet this criteria.
I won't list them all because it would be a fifty page long post if I did, but I will describe one the "pivotal" scene where the "action" goes wrong and two people wind up dead. First, Andy Garcia (who plays the "clever" Jimmy the Saint) puts a lunatic (Critical Bill) in the position where he can really hurt someone. Why? Because the screenwriter couldn't think of a better way for things to go wrong than having something stupid like that happen. Then, the young guy that Garcia's buddies are trying to scare realizes that the two men who pulled him over aren't cops. Does he get (like most people would) scared? No. Does he try to escape? No. Does he try to talk his way out of the situation? No. Instead, he deliberately provokes "Critical Bill" and keeps on doing so even after he's been pulled through the window, beaten nearly senseless, and had a knife put to his throat. Why did he behave so stupidly? Because the screenwriter couldn't come up with a smarter way for things to go wrong.
Just a really dumb movie. The only saving grace was Fairuza Balk's character, and she only had a bit part.
-Nick
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