Going in Style

This is another one of those films that I've been meaning to watch and I've only just got round to it and I have to say, I wish I had watched it sooner. It's a lovely little film with some good laughs and great characters played by some acting greats. While this film will never go down as one of the greats of Hollywood, it is none the less a good old fashioned comedy with a good story line. Some of the critics are trying to poke holes in it, and to be fair there are a few little hiccups and goofs, but it's a comedy, it's not supposed to be that accurate. Watch it for what it is, A good old school comedy, and you will enjoy it as much as I did.

Joyful, hilarious, touching, exciting. "Going in Style" fits in all these categories, proving how age does not – and should not – deprive actors of comedic spirit. Michael Cane ('Joe'), Morgan Freeman ('Willie'), and Alan Arkin ('Al') give such good performances to the point that moments of lack of subtlety – from both the script and the direction – are minimized instead of forgiven. It is a hell of a good time from beginning to end.

Down on their luck, the three old friends struggle to simply get through the day is becoming more unbearable each day. 'Joe' is under the pressure of bank eviction notices, 'Willie' has to overcome the distance from the family, and 'Al', well, could not care less as long as he is not alone. Alan Arkin, by the way, steals every scene – "Little Miss Sunshine" vibes.

Their situation reaches its breaking point when their pensions are frozen. The three leads decide to rob their mutual bank and this part of the plot is what defines this movie for what it is. On the one hand, it plays up, to the maximum level, all the possible jokes and funny moments applicable to the circumstance – and the payoff includes a supermarket scene that I will not forget so soon. Another way it works is with the sneaky and twisty nature of the bank robbery operation – orchestrated with the help of 'Jesus' (John Ortiz). These do not just make sense, but they are truly clever.

The part where it comes across as not as bright is in its efforts of justifying the leads actions. Of course, situations like this can and do very well happen, and are genuine injustices. Michael Cane sells that emotion with a few dramatic scenes involving his granddaughter in the film 'Brooklyn', played by Joey King. It is, however, in dealing with the circumstances of the robbery and the nature of such a situation that it falls short. Again, this is does not get in the way of it being a good and fully enjoyable film; it only keeps it from having that extra level of much appreciated sophistication.

Ultimately, "Going in Style" does what it came to theaters to do: get constant, big, and loud laughs from the audience. It provides spectators with incredible 90 or so minutes of good fun at the movies. Despite hilarious supporting performances by Christopher Lloyd as 'Milton' and Ann-Margaret as 'Annie', the three Oscar winners leads carry this film with such class and wit that it makes it really hard not to enjoy the trip to the theater.

7.5/10

The new film, GOING IN STYLE, is the equivalent of eating a Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Tomato Soup on a cold, rainy Sunday afternoon - very familiar, very welcome and very comforting.  It's not going to win any Academy Awards or change the course of movie history, but this film delivers - competently and professionally - what it promises to deliver with no fuss and no muss.

Starring film veterans Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman and Alan Arkin, GOING IN STYLE tells the story of how these three are pressed against the wall, financially, and their last resort is to rob a bank to get the money they need.

And...it's fun...not hilarious...not groundbreaking, but fun.  Caine, Freeman and Arkin believably play 3 long time friends who are nearing the end.  There is a comfort there with each other and it was pleasant to spend time with them.  Joining them was the one and only Ann- Margret and the always fun Christopher Lloyd (in, hands down, the best performance and most interesting character in the film).

Notice, I've used the words comforting, pleasant and pleasing.  I did NOT use the words groundbreaking, hilarious or epic.  I certainly enjoyed myself and am glad I saw it.

And you will too, whether you see this film in the movie theater or run across it as you are lying on the couch some rainy Sunday afternoon.

Letter Grade:  a solid "B"

7 (out of 10) stars and you can take that to the Bank (of Marquis)

The best part about this movie is seeing Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, and Alan Arkin all on screen together. They have fantastic chemistry, and you really feel like their characters have actually been friends for 30+ years. They just glow on screen, and seeing them riff on each other and have a good time made for me to have a good time as well. They all gave great performances. The supporting cast was also really good. It was fun to see Christopher Lloyd pop up in a film again. We also got see some good performances from Kenan Thompson and Ann-Margret. Look, with this movie, there are no revolutionary jokes. It's everything you would expect there to be. I do tend to prefer edgier comedy than this, but I made my peace with it the second the first joke hit. This isn't meant to be a Seth Rogen kind of comedy. This is supposed to just be a fun, light- hearted, feel-good comedy, and it was really good for what it was...

Personally, I really like the works of Zach Braff, I fell in love with him in the series "Scrubs", which, thanks to the actor's play of Braff, delighted the fans for many years. Later I became interested in his first feature film "Garden State", which showed an unusual director's style of Braff. Then, after many years, the second film "Wish i Was Here" appeared, in which the matured director shared with the audience his experiences about the upbringing of children and death. Before watching "Going in Style" i found out that the film is a remake of the same picture released in 1979, this prompted me first to see it. Let's move on to the film itself.

Actors Actors on the main roles, Braff took the first magnitude: Morgan Freeman, Michael Kane, Alan Arkin. Each of the actors is already a professional in their field, so they played at their good level: convincingly and vigorously. This film is the sixth joint work of Morgan Freeman and Michael Kane after the trilogy of Christopher Nolan about Batman and the "Now You See Me" dialog. Not a bad role was the young actress Joey King, who played the granddaughter of the character Michael Caine. I think that the actress will have many good and interesting roles in the future. Also pleased with the appearance of Christopher Lloyd, who was remembered by the majority for the role of Dr. Emmett Brown in the trilogy "Back to the Future".

Story As I wrote earlier, before watching this film, I already looked at the version of 1979. When I went to the film, I assumed that I would see the story one by one, only with the eyes of another director. But, as it turned out, the film's writers foresaw this and pleasantly surprised me by changing the plot in key places. Both films, the 1979 film and the Braff movie are based on the work of Edward Cannon.

Cinematography Separately, I would like to note the excellent and beautiful camera-work of Rodney Charters, which positively influenced the film and created for him a memorable style.

The Result Although the film is not based on the original script of Zach Braff, his style is still very clearly traced in the picture. I believe that under the leadership of Braff, the film turned out to be much more energetic and cheerful compared to the previous interpretation of the work of Edward Cannon. Remained pleasantly surprised and pleased of film. I look forward to the next product of Braff.

9 out of 10