STARRING: Nicolas Cage, Angelina Jolie, Giovanni Ribisi and Robert Duvall

There are certain things you expect from a summer movie. You want to laugh, see some outrageous stunts and be amazed by special effects. You want to escape from the heat and the world outside. What you want is a little dumb fun. That said, does "Gone in 60 Seconds" fit the criteria for mindless summer entertainment?

HELL YEAH!

This flick is a fast-paced, shallow confection that substitutes car chases for character development. There are moments so preposterous that you’re going to laugh out loud. The cast chews so much scenery, you’ll wonder if they were fed anything during the production. Even so, this movie is still one helluva good time. The charisma of the actors, the fast pace and over-the-top stunts make up for any shortcomings. You’ll enjoy the movie because it is flashy and superficial.

Sometimes you just want to sit in the dark and disconnect your brain for a few hours. Find yourself in a place far removed from your daily life. While this movie is set in contemporary Long Beach, California, it still exists in a fantastic world where you can steal a Porsche by driving it through the dealership’s display window. It’s a place where everyone drives faster and better than the cops. A Hollywood reality where car thieves actually look like Nicolas Cage and Angelina Jolie.

Jolie does most of her acting with her lips and hairstyle.

Cage ("Bringing Out the Dead") plays Randall "Memphis" Raines, a retired car thief trying to put his crooked past behind him. He’s called back into action by his old friend Atley (Will Patton from "Entrapment"). Memphis’ little brother Kip (Giovanni Ribisi from "Boiler Room"), has been stealing cars for Atley’s boss, a brutal criminal known as "The Carpenter" (Christopher Eccleston from "Shallow Grave"). Kip has screwed up and put a major deal in jeopardy so "The Carpenter" wants Memphis to make things right. He has 24 hours to steal 50 cars or his brother dies.

Memphis assembles his old crew, most of whom are now toiling away in dead-end jobs. His mentor (Robert Duvall from "A Civil Action") has turned the chop shop into a car restoration business. His buddy (Chi McBride from "The Frighteners") is now a driving school instructor. Then there’s Sphinx — a guy who’s heavy on muscle and light on conversation (Vinnie Jones from "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels") —who is now a morgue attendant. And Memphis’ old girlfriend, Sway (Jolie from "The Bone Collector"), is holding down two jobs because "you have to work twice as hard to make an honest buck." They all agree to join him for one final score.

The highlight of this movie is the big heist. While a time code on the screen counts down to their deadline, Memphis and his gang scour Long Beach for their prey. We are treated to several scenes of covert operations and chases culminating in Memphis stealing a 1967 Shelby Mustang GT. This car is Memphis’ Holy Grail. He’s apparently attempted to steal a Shelby three times before, almost getting arrested or killed in the process. Since all good moviegoers know foreshadowing when we see it, we’re not surprised that Memphis spends the rest of the movie being chased by the cops. Will he escape in time to save Kip? Will he finally have the object of his obsession? Will he ever run out of gas?

Cabinet making may strike fear in somebody’s heart, just not mine.

The chase scenes — especially this final one — are a great deal of fun. They unleash your inner speed demon as cars careen down the blacktop eluding the police. This movie recaptured the feelings I had as a little kid sitting behind the wheel of my dad’s car, pretending to jump bridges and navigate 180-degree turns. One of my favorite moments is when Memphis is chased onto a loading dock. A compressed air tank gets punctured and flies all over the road. The tank ricochets off cars and walls like a giant pinball.

You take away the high-speed pursuits and the movie falters. The plot is pretty thin and acting takes a backseat to the stunts. Cage is mainly coasting on his persona — that jittery tough guy thing he has played in almost every movie since winning his Oscar. The rest of the cast doesn’t try too hard either. Jolie does most of her acting with her lips and hairstyle. Duvall seems to be killing time until his next substantial role. Most everybody else just seems happy to have a job.

Ribisi, however, is actually quite refreshing as Kip. He’s much better here than he was in "Boiler Room." He doesn’t seem like he’s in over his head like he was in that movie. Perhaps Ribisi is more adept at playing slack-eyed losers than Wall Street Sharks. Either way, I didn’t find him as vacant or annoying in this one. It could be that he’s a better supporting player than a lead. Or maybe it’s just because he wasn’t on screen as much.

Another standout is Delroy Lindo ("Get Shorty") who does an admirable job as the cop on Memphis’ tail. There’s not a lot of meat to the part, but he does his best with what he’s got. Lindo — like Samuel L. Jackson and Morgan Freeman — is an actor with so much charisma and style that he can make almost any role interesting. Unfortunately, it seems he only gets offered jobs that Jackson and Freeman turn down. Somebody give this guy a major role worthy of his talent.

This movie’s weakest component is Christopher Eccleston’s performance as "The Carpenter." This guy just might be the lamest screen villain in movies today. He may even beat out John Travolta’s Terl in "Battlefield Earth" and that’s no easy feat. Travolta was a buffoon, but at least he generated an emotional response. I didn’t feel anything towards Eccleston. He’s supposed to be a ruthless gangster, but his physical demeanor and delivery reminded me more of an obnoxious prep school kid. A villain should at least be able to convince you that he’s capable of violence. Eccleston acted like he was late for a cricket match with Skippy and Biff.

I’m sure writer Scott Rosenberg thought he was being creative by giving the character a quirky hobby, but woodworking just doesn’t do the trick. Cabinet making may strike fear in somebody’s heart, just not mine. I will give Rosenberg snaps, however, for carving out a successful and eclectic screenwriting career. He’s been an in-demand scribe of late, jumping from testosterone-laced flicks like this one and "Con Air" to sensitive guy romantic comedies like "High Fidelity" and "Beautiful Girls."

Director Dominic Sena may not be winning any Best Picture Oscars in the near future, but he has crafted an entertaining film. "Gone in 60 Seconds" is a major improvement over "Kalifornia," his directorial debut. That pretentious and banal film was probably the first time Brad Pitt realized that not showering was crucial to his performance. It also featured Juliette Lewis — Oh please, make her stop! — and a pre-Mulder David Duchovny. Sena has definitely learned from his mistakes. His new movie is better paced and retains the slick editing style of the earlier film without being as distracting.

Regardless of the contributions of Rosenberg and Sena, most people will consider "Gone in 60 Seconds" to be a "Jerry Bruckheimer Film." While the movie is a loose remake of a popular ‘70’s flick of the same name, it bears all the trademarks of the Bruckheimer dream factory. This movie’s got cool stars, big stunts, flashy camerawork and a loud soundtrack. It’s the latest in a legacy that includes "Top Gun," "The Rock" and "Con Air."

As a producer, Jerry Bruckheimer will never get credit for creating "thoughtful entertainment," but he’ll show you a good time. For two hours, this guy becomes the ringmaster for the circus in your head. Step right up and check out his latest extravaganza. Your summer wouldn’t be complete without it.