Going in Style

The age of comedy has certainly changed over the years, transitioning from the classic slapstick to a simpler, straightforward approach that today's youth loves. Yet, every once in a while, the legends from the past return in an attempt to bring some whit back to the silver screen. Tonight, my friend and I head back into the trenches of the local theater to give some insight into Going in Style starring the legendary trio of Morgan Freeman, Alan Arkin, and Michael Caine. Let's get started!

LIKES: • Classic comedy • Good chemistry between actors • Cute • Nicely tied together story

Summary: If the intro didn't spoil it for you, Going in Style is true to its name, as the trio brings the classic comedy back into style. Fans of the slapstick of yore are going to bust a gut at this film as the timeless styles of the leads continue to shine bright. Caine and Freeman have comedic timing and delivery down, with clever lines craftily intertwined in the serious dialogue that put today's writing to shame. Arkin on the other hand is all about the banter and complaining, which for the most part is balanced and well-placed. The trio have great chemistry together, and sell that they are best friends who have faced the challenge called life. They sell the struggles and praise the joys, and do it with such class and minimizing the stupid, mindless banter famous today. And in addition to being funny, the lack of crude comedy also makes this movie cute. Watching older men trying to rob a bank, while also getting their lives in order makes for an adorable adventure as my friend commented. Of course, this reviewer likes a story to his comedy, and Going in Style gets this right too. It's a hardy story for most ages, and one that won't have the older audience members shaking their heads in shame. This may also surprise you, but there were a couple of twists that fooled me, which isn't easy in the comedy genre.

DISLIKES: • Predictable • Depressing at times • Old jokes get a bit stale

Summary: With a simple story as this, it's not surprising that much of the story is predictable. Given the theme of the movie, you should be able to predict most of the ending, and certainly can guess where things are going to go wrong. Therefore, the uniqueness of this movie takes a hit in the story department. And no surprise, the comedy is also predictable and therefore loses the comedy edge they wanted to deliver…at least to me. While the trailers do promote the more fun atmosphere of the movie, don't let it fool you that it is all happiness and rainbows (that's the Smurfs!). Going in style emphasizes the end of life generation, highlighting the less than glorious problems of getting older. There are parts that brought me down as they emphasized the sadder qualities of life. Thank goodness for the consistent comedy, because otherwise this could have been a much harder movie to watch. Of all the comedy this movie has in its folds, they certainly stuck with the old theme of this movie. Positives, there are plenty of quips and class to the punches they throw. Bad news, the quips get older than the actors delivering them. How many insults about difficulties getting up can you make, or metaphors for being poor and not having a check. It's good political awareness (nice work there writers), but it would have been nice for a little more variety to work its way into the vaudeville.

The VERDICT:

Going in Style is one of the classier, wittier comedies to end up in the theater this year. Both this reviewer and his friend, enjoyed the trade of simplistic one-liners and innuendos for a less aggressive comedy style that shows the traditional style has not been lost quite yet. Despite the trade up though, the movie is still very predictable and simplistic enough to still be stuck in the mediocre territory. As much fun as I had in the movie, there isn't much to warrant it for a movie theater visit, unless you are a fan of the traditional comedy and looking for a fun group/date movie.

My scores are:

Comedy/Crime: 7.5 Movie Overall: 6.0

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)

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

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.

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...