A remake of the 1979 film of the same name, Going in Style sees three legendary actors working together on an unconventional heist movie. While ultimately a letdown, there are enough bright spots to make it a passable viewing experience. When the company they worked for is bought out, retirees Willie (Morgan Freeman), Joe (Michael Caine) and Albert (Alan Arkin) see their pensions become a casualty of the restructuring. Inspired by a bank robbery Joe witnesses, the trio decide to take back what is rightfully theirs and cripple the bank holding the company’s pension funds.
If you can get behind the movie’s oddball premise, there’s a good chance you’ll have some fun here. It plays with the tropes of the genre but never fully goes all the way with its execution. It’s no Hell or High Water which oddly enough touches on some of the same themes in this film but the cast draws some big laughs. Alan Arkin has the best one liners as the curmudgeon who is dragged into this caper against his best wishes. The movie also has one of the funniest chase scenes, (bit of a stretch to call it that) I’ve seen in a long time along with a hilarious police lineup made up of senior citizens. That’s about it though. This comedy is thinly written and feels uninspired despite the overall quirky idea. We’re introduced to a bunch of characters outside of our main crew who are transparent plot devices instead of compelling personalities.
The actual story is just about as predictable as you would expect with no interesting curveballs thrown along the way. However, I will say that there’s something that reminds me of the Ocean's movies in that the characters navigate this new world with a certain flair. Their technique just lacks finesse as it becomes abundantly clear that these numbskulls are rolling the dice on this plan no matter what. Frankly, they haven’t got much to lose since being thrown in prison seems a better way to spend the last few years of their short-lived existence than their current situation. These elderly thieves aren’t hardened criminals but rather desperate men making a last-ditch effort to put the scraps of their lives back together.
Going in Style is not a movie you need to rush out and see opening weekend in theaters. Check it out if you’ve got a couple of hours to kill on a random afternoon. Better yet, you can rent it in a few months on VOD. It’s a perfectly disposable movie that’ll give you a couple of laughs as you watch three veteran actors bumble around on screen for an hour and a half.
Grade: C+
If you can get behind the movie’s oddball premise, there’s a good chance you’ll have some fun here. It plays with the tropes of the genre but never fully goes all the way with its execution. It’s no Hell or High Water which oddly enough touches on some of the same themes in this film but the cast draws some big laughs. Alan Arkin has the best one liners as the curmudgeon who is dragged into this caper against his best wishes. The movie also has one of the funniest chase scenes, (bit of a stretch to call it that) I’ve seen in a long time along with a hilarious police lineup made up of senior citizens. That’s about it though. This comedy is thinly written and feels uninspired despite the overall quirky idea. We’re introduced to a bunch of characters outside of our main crew who are transparent plot devices instead of compelling personalities.
The actual story is just about as predictable as you would expect with no interesting curveballs thrown along the way. However, I will say that there’s something that reminds me of the Ocean's movies in that the characters navigate this new world with a certain flair. Their technique just lacks finesse as it becomes abundantly clear that these numbskulls are rolling the dice on this plan no matter what. Frankly, they haven’t got much to lose since being thrown in prison seems a better way to spend the last few years of their short-lived existence than their current situation. These elderly thieves aren’t hardened criminals but rather desperate men making a last-ditch effort to put the scraps of their lives back together.
Going in Style is not a movie you need to rush out and see opening weekend in theaters. Check it out if you’ve got a couple of hours to kill on a random afternoon. Better yet, you can rent it in a few months on VOD. It’s a perfectly disposable movie that’ll give you a couple of laughs as you watch three veteran actors bumble around on screen for an hour and a half.
Grade: C+
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