Dallas 362 refers both to the city and to the character played by writer/director/star Scott Caan in this charming and watchable buddy movie/character study/caper flick. With an impressive cast that includes Jeff Goldblum, Kelly Lynch, Scott Hatosy as well as Caan as the title character Dallas - the movie engages you early on and thanks to an impressive script that holds your interest with it's natural and entertaining dialogue, a compelling friendship between Caan and Hatosy, and perfect little performances by Lynch, Goldblum and Val Lauren.

Hatosy plays Rusty the main character in the film, whose friendship with Dallas has finally begun to be a bit of a liability. But the thought of turning his back is untenable as Dallas was there for him when he lost his father and the two have become inseparable in the ten years since. In the early goings the two regularly wind up in jail over bar brawls and so forth which prompts Rust's mother (Lynch) to impose on her analyst boyfriend (Goldblum) for a little free counseling. After a rocky start Goldblum and Hatosy become fast friends, despite the awkwardness of having one of them sleeping with the other's mother.

Rusty secretly longs to try his hand at the rodeo circuit (the only thing he's ever shown any kind of affinity for) but also the thing that killed his father and caused his mother to move as far away from Texas as she could get. Thus she puts up with Rusty and Dallas aimless shenanigans with the rationale that at least it keeps him away from that darned old rodeo. In the midst of this, a frustrated Dallas begins to cook up a couple of dangerous capers that might allow him to grab some quick change which might give him and Rusty some get-away-from-it-all cash.

Dallas works as a collection man for a small-time sports bookie played by Heavy D, and soon he enlists the help of a hilarious paranoid skeezix (Val Lauren) a consistent loser and thus a regular source of income to Heavy D. in a scheme to rob the bookie. Meanwhile he's involved in another potential heist that ends up in a fairly predictable twist near the end of the film.

Though the ending comes off a little hackneyed, the consistently interesting dialogue and inter-relationships among the leads makes it an easy film to recommend. Goldblum is enjoying himself, pretty much playing himself with that goofy touchy-feely charm. Selma Blair is wasted as the girlfriend of Val Lauren, but the mother son dynamic between Hatosy and Lynch really gives the film it's emotional drive. I can't say I was crazy about the film's climactic convergence - but everything else about it will charm you.