Peter Hewitt's affable caper takes you back to a softer, more innocent cinema era when it was enough simply to have a group of big-name stars being silly for a while.

The Maiden Heist
***
Dir: Peter Hewitt
With: Morgan Freeman, Christopher Walken, William H Macy
Peter Hewitt's affable caper takes you back to a softer, more innocent cinema era when it was enough simply to have a group of big-name stars being silly for a while. Morgan Freeman, Christopher Walken and William H Macy are security guards at a Boston museum. They love their jobs, and they particularly adore certain paintings and sculptures, among them a portrait of a lonely maiden standing on a beach.

When a new director wants to bring in - shock, horror - some modern art and sell the old stuff to a museum in Denmark, the vintage trio resolve to take action. British director Hewitt, previously responsible for Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey and Garfield, coaxes pleasing turns from his stellar cast, with Walken the best of the bunch. No-one does borderline comedy crazy like CW. Although the comedy can be decidedly creaky at times, this attempt at an Oceans 197 (the combined ages of its stars) provides a smooth, harmless enough viewing ride overall. Wonder if Brad and George will still be on such form when they hit Freeman's age?

Tonight, 8.30pm, Saturday, 6.30pm, Cineworld.