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Despite the considerable talent of its leads, Going in Style is light on laughs and plays it safe far too often. Read critic reviews
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Movie Info
Lifelong buddies Willie (Morgan Freeman), Joe (Michael Caine) and Albert (Alan Arkin) decide to buck retirement and step off the straight-and-narrow when their pension funds become a corporate casualty. Desperate to pay the bills and come through for their loved ones, the three men risk it all by embarking on a daring adventure to knock off the very bank that absconded with their money.
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Rating: PG-13 (Language|Drug Content|Some Suggestive Material)
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Genre: Comedy
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Original Language: English
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Director: Zach Braff
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Producer: Donald De Line
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Writer: Theodore Melfi
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Release Date (Theaters): wide
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Release Date (Streaming):
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Box Office (Gross USA): $45.0M
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Runtime:
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Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
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Production Co: New Line Cinema, De Line Pictures, Village Roadshow Pictures
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Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)
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Critic Reviews for Going in Style
Audience Reviews for Going in Style
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If I were to think of what type of movie I would feature three Academy Award winners like Morgan Freeman, Alan Arkin and Michael Caine in, I don't necessarily think it would be this one. The sad thing is that, after you reach a certain age, as an actor, it's hard to find meaningful roles. And that's not to say that this isn't a meaningful movie for people who actually did enjoy it, but what I mean is that for three actors who have had as illustrious careers as they have had, this isn't really gonna be remembered as one of their most memorable or enduring roles. Alan Arkin's gonna be remembered for Little Miss Sunshine, Morgan Freeman for The Shawshank Redemption and Michael Caine for The Italian Job, his appearance in Christopher Nolan's movies and many others (same thing for Alan and Morgan). And that's not to suggest that this movie was ever meant to encroach on their legendary careers. With that said, however, I found that there was really nothing wrong with this movie in the slightest. It's a perfectly agreeable and inoffensively pleasant little movie. Perhaps that sounds condescending towards this, but I really did have no problem with this movie. Part of me just wishes that these incredibly talented actors were used in something that was a little bit better than this movie ended up being. Given that this is a remake of what is, supposed to be (since I haven't seen it), a good movie, then it's obvious that this type of movie should theoretically work if you actually put in the effort to craft a strong script with good characters. This movie has neither of those things. It has likable characters and that's not the same thing as them being, actually, good characters. Like, for example, Tree in Happy Death Day was a great character. That's not to say that Jessica Rothe, who was absolutely fucking great in that movie, is on the same level as any of those three, but it's just to say that she stood out more in her movie than Morgan, Michael or Alan did in this one and that is because of the fact that Jessica was working with a far stronger script. And, realistically speaking, I feel that this may have just been a paycheck movie for the three. I'm certain that they enjoyed working with each other, and you can tell by their chemistry, but it's just that the movie lacks the sparks necessary in order to push this to the next level. I think it plays it safe far too often for it to add up to anything all that substantial. And there's the inherent problem that I've always had with heist movies and that is that the majority of the film is spent planning the damn thing and, honestly, that's never been interesting to me. Or, in this case, at least, they spend a good chunk of time of it. In this case, they set up the guys losing their pensions first before they plan the heist itself. To me, to make the planning of the heist itself work, you need great characters at the core of it all. Because, once again, the planning itself just isn't interesting. What holds it all together is the interactions between the characters and, if they're great characters, then you don't even notice that the planning is incredibly dull and boring. Either that or the heist itself needs to be among the best you have ever seen for it to make sitting through all that planning worth it. This movie has absolutely none of those things. The characters aren't great, the planning is boring and the heist is meh. And I kinda get that these men are all in their 80s, so it can't be a tense heist like at the beginning of The Dark Knight. And the thing is that it is a worthy story, a little bit too late, but it is worthy. The banks fucked over the country in late 2008 and the people who ended up paying for the banks' numerous mistakes was the hard-working, blue collar citizens of the U.S. The banks preyed on those who needed the most protection and, sadly, they fucking got away with it. Fuck the banks, amirite? The point is that the story should feel relevant and timely, to this day, but it just misses the mark completely. If I come across as if I'm being negative, then I do apologize. Like I said, I had absolutely no problem with this movie. This isn't the second Madea horror movie (and it is the very definition of the horror movie in that I wouldn't want my worst enemy to watch it). It's decent, like I said, it's agreeable and the definition of a crowd-pleaser. But it's just not good. It really isn't. The fact that the movie provides a pleasant experience that you don't hate and is undemanding doesn't mean the movie should get a pass for its obviously empty script that relies entirely on its leads. But, and I mentioned this the other day, it's a vicious cycle. A weak script means you have to rely on your lead actors to carry the load, but they can only carry the load so far BECAUSE of the weak script. We're going in circles here. I give credit where credit is due, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine and Alan Arkin are all very good, but this movie, much like the banks in the movie, does not do right by them. I wouldn't recommend this, but there's nothing wrong with this. If I got through this just fine, so will most of you, even if the movie doesn't offer much in the way that is good.
jesse o Super Reviewer -
Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, and Alan Arkin are Going in Style in this lighthearted slapstick comedy. When they lose their pensions three retirees decide to get back at their former employer by robbing their bank. The performances are alright, but nobody's exactly at their best. And the comedy relies too heavily on geriatric humor; it's kind of the one note joke of the entire film. Additionally, in order to make the thieves the heroes the morality of the film is all turned around; stealing is victimless, cops are idiots, and following the rules gets you nowhere. There's also some anti-banking/anti-business messaging that comes off as a little muddled. Going in Style delivers some laughs, but the jokes wear thin after a while and the plot's rather ridiculous.
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I've noticed a few movies like this in recent years, you know, with a small tight-knit roster of aging A-list stars that might not be here for much longer or are simply getting too old. I know that sounds really horrible but we've all gotta face the truth about life. But its funny how these epic cast rosters only seem to happen when the stars become old, didn't see it too much back in the day. I guess that could be down to them wanting to be the only major star in their own vehicle when they were younger, hungry for fame. As they get older I guess they mellow out a bit. Just a theory. So this is another remake of a movie I have not seen or heard of but seems like a justified update I suppose. The plot centres on three old geezers played by Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine and Alan Arkin who are all made redundant. Not only that but they all lose their pensions due to their company being bought out and the restructuring within. So what do these old blokes do? Well they decide to rob the bank that is carrying out the restructuring of their pension funds. So you get the gist here, geriatric bank robbers equals hilarity...right? Well yes and no, its hardly a laugh riot that's for sure, but predictable and cliched? most definitely. To start with things move slowly as we meet the three characters and get to know their lives a bit. This is of course required to make us care about these guys and see their situations but it all moves slowly (just like old people). Each character has a different problem that is there to pull on your heartstrings. Joe (Caine) lives with his daughter and granddaughter but due to losing his job and pension they could all be evicted. Willie (Freeman) is becoming very ill due to kidney failure but also cannot afford to visit his family. Albert is the only one without anything overly disastrous happening, he's just a relatively poor old man. So, old men good, bank evil. Got it? good. So to prep for their outrageous felony the guys first try to shoplift from a grocery store. This is one of the only truly funny sequences in the movie showcasing stereotypical geriatric tomfoolery and slapstick. The guys don't have a clue what to do and end up shoving all manner of things down their pants, inside jacket pockets or where ever. The getaway on the mobility scooter tops it off perfectly...if again a little too cliched. Because of course they escape on a mobility scooter, they're old farts. A security officer chases after Albert but it doesn't last too long because Albert is...well old! [i]'this isn't an admission of guilt, I'm just tired'[/i]. The follow up with the store manager (Kenan Thompson of [i]Kenan & Kel[/i]) is also quite amusing. After this disappointing test run they seek help from an actual criminal to help them plan their heist. Cue training montage of old men getting fit and learning the tricks to becoming a top bank robber. Eventually we actually get to the actual bank robbing (are all American banks this splendid looking?) and being a family film its all very gentle and soppy. Old Willie almost keels over from overheating in his mask but is helped by a little girl in a vomit-inducing 'aww' moment. But then things take a slightly darker turn when the bank manager pulls a gun and tries to shoot the old men, but misses. Albert then strides over to the manager firing his blanks at him. This all felt very out of place in my opinion, especially when Albert starts firing his gun at the manager whilst saying he's gonna die. I realise he's letting out his frustration on the manager because of their financial situations and whatnot but Jesus! Apparently the original movie has a more downbeat ending with the old guys getting caught, but this has been overturned here. In this heart-warming adventure the guys get away with it and give much of the money away to all their friends and family. Pretty stupid really, seeing all these people getting packages with huge wads of cash in them. I think most people would probably go to the police suspecting criminal activity, not wanting to get in trouble or dragged into anything. Like I've said this is a [b]slow[/b] moving film, there are lots of typical family scenes with soppy dialog. You do get a good sense of each character for sure but all the while you sit there just wanting them to get on with it. Basically you're not really interested in all the lovey-dovey build up, you just wanna see these guys rob the bank. Its all about old age pensioners robbing a bank, that's amusing and that's all you wanna see. The rest is all very very safe, clean and formulaic; light-hearted being an understatement. So yeah its fine, but could of been much funnier I think.
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All the charm of listening to yer Grandma or Grandpa pass gas ... for 90 minutes. Okay. Less charming.
kevin w Super Reviewer
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