Going in Style

RATING: B-

So guess what? This film is a remake. You probably didn't know that. A lot of people probably didn't know that. I actually didn't know that for a while. But it is a remake. A remake of a film from 1979. Well, even in an age of endless remakes, I guess it's okay to remake a movie when the original has been completely forgotten about. 

This film centers around three elderly men--Joe, Willie, and Albert--all played by famous older actors. As in Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman and Alan Arkin, respectively. These three guys are just living the retirement life--until their retirement pensions are cancelled by some evil bank due to their former company being bought out. Or something like that. So basically, these three guys are now screwed. Until they get the idea to rob the bank and take back what is rightfully theirs (and *only* that). 

To be frank, this movie gets by pretty strictly on the power of its main stars and the chemistry they have. Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman both being in a movie to begin with is great, but Alan Arkin arguably gets many of the better lines with his character's dry sense of humor. Also, Christopher Lloyd is in this movie--and though he doesn't have a whole lot of screen time, he steals the show whenever he is on it with his over-the-top performance. Some scenes in the movie are more funny than others in general--namely the "test robbery" run of a discount grocery store. 

That said, this movie is a little bit *too* simpleton in some ways. There's not much to this movie's storyline other than the bank robbery and everything leading up to it (as well as the immediate aftermath). And there's not a whole lot payoff at the end (no pun intended). While things go mostly as you might expect, nothing really big happens before the final resolutions. Basically, the 15 or so minutes immediately following the robbery (but before the actual ending) kind of almost feel like a waste of time and were perhaps intended to just stretch the film to 95 minutes. 

It's a decently funny movie, but it also plays it a little too safe at times and doesn't really do anything special with the storyline. Not that you would expect much in a mere comedy like this, but you'd expect something a little more. That said, it's an alright way to pass about an hour and a half of your time--thanks to the cast and their chemistry. You might forget about it fairly quick, but you won't feel like you wasted your time either.