Shooting Fish

Shooting Fish is a 1997 British romantic crime comedy film directed by Stefan Schwartz and cowritten with Richard Holmes. Starring Dan Futterman and Stuart Townsend as two con men with Kate Beckinsale as their unwilling assistant, the film was produced by Winchester Films and partly funded by National Lottery money administered through the UK Arts Council. Shooting Fish aimed to transfer well to international markets that were keen on British films following the success of Four Weddings and a Funeral.

Dylan Dan Futterman and Jez Stuart Townsend are two orphans who meet in their twenties and vow to achieve their shared childhood dream of living in a stately home. In pursuit of this dream they spend their days living in a disused gas holder, spending as little money as possible and conning the upper classes out of their riches. During one of their biggest cons, their lives are touched by Georgie Kate Beckinsale, who needs money to save the Downs syndrome foundation that her brother attends. When a con goes wrong, the two find themselves in gaol to be released only after their entire fortune is rendered useless because of a recall of 50 notes. It is down to an elaborate plan involving Dylan, Jez, and if they can persuade her Georgie, to break them out of gaol in order to save their dream.The film, in essence, is part Ealing comedy, part underdog farce with a sequence of madcap adventures set against a striking soundtrack by contemporary Britpop artists. Unlike straight romcoms or mainstream comedies of the period, Shooting Fish contained a generous blending of fact and fantasy witness the helium balloon episode at the finale. ........

Source: Wikipedia