"I tell you, we are on earth to fart around and don't let anybody tell you any different," Kurt Vonnegut wryly observed. That seems to be the philosophy of the two escaped convicts in Barry Levinson's riotously funny comedy. They don't take themselves very seriously. Their escapades as the "Sleepover Bandits" win them national acclaim on "Criminals at Large," a popular television program.

Joe Blake (Bruce Willis) is a hot-tempered, go-getter with charm to spare. His partner Terry Collins (Billy Bob Thornton) is a creative fellow afflicted with hypochondria and a slew of phobias. He is the one who comes up with their unique robbery plan — going to the bank manager's house, taking the family hostage, having dinner with them and sleeping there, and then going with all of them to the bank in the morning to get the money out of the safe. No fuss, no muss, no danger.

On the night before their first heist, Terry sits at the dinner table with the bank manager's crying wife and tries to guess the ingredients in the meal she's prepared. But even his weirdness is outdone by Joe's young cousin Harvey J. Pollard (Troy Garity), the getaway driver. He's a stunt man who just can't keep his mind focused on the simple elements of his job in the robberies.

Joe and Terry are well on their way to funding their retirement dream of running a restaurant and hotel in Mexico when Kate (Cate Blanchett), an unhappily married woman, plops into their lives. Joe beds her and then Terry gets his chance. She enjoys the attention they lavish upon her and, to their disappointment, refuses to choose between them. "Together you're the perfect man," she explains.

Bandits is a witty comedy about two vagabond souls who savor risk and play as the elixir of life. Barry Levinson draws out buoyant performances from Willis, Thornton, and Blanchett. The screenplay by Harley Peyton is hilarious from start to finish. And if you're a fan of the pop music of Bonnie Tyler, you're in for a treat.