2017’s “Baby Driver”, directed by Edgar Wright.
Starring Ansel Elgort, Lily James, Jon Bernthal, Kevin
Spacey, Jon Hamm, Jamie Foxx, Eliza Gonzalez, and Flea.
What is it about?
We open in Atlanta, where we meet a gang of bank robbers.
They are assisted by a millennial (Ansel Elgort), who can drive like a stuntman
and never goes without a member of his cherished arsenal of iPods. Accompanied
by a constant soundtrack, Elgort is a grown up orphan who is in debt to Kevin Spacey’s
master criminal. Pressured into one last job to pay off his debt, Elgort follows
through and is freed from his obligations. Free to chase a waitress (Lily
James) that he is crushing on, he soon has to contend with the notion that the
criminal world that he seems to be clear of will never go away, and that the
criminal world is full of unsavoury types (such as Jon Bernthal, Jon Hamm,
Eliza Gonzalez, and Jamie Foxx). Is this one situation our Baby can drive away
from?
Why is it worth seeing?
Edgar Wright is one talented Mother Effer. Owner of some of
the most bad ass shooting/editing techniques in the biz, he delivers yet again
some very tight scenes to provide endless propulsive kinetic energy, both in
the car chases and the romantic scenes, and even things as mundane as a bank
deposit. So, that’s a pro.
And the soundtrack is an eclectic mix of all sorts of genres and moods that constantly accompany our hero. That’s 2 pros.
And the soundtrack is an eclectic mix of all sorts of genres and moods that constantly accompany our hero. That’s 2 pros.
But what a bummer I don’t care for our hero (nor his muse
and their love affair), and the bevy of underworld characters who don’t make
nice. If the movie had been shot less like an extended iPod commercial (it’s
almost like a musical at times, which is never a good thing when it’s not a
musical), then maybe we could really get to the bottom of what makes our hero tick
underneath the ever present iPod and sunglasses. This is the manifesto of youth
who believe they can command the world to do what they wish while constantly
hiding from it behind the detached cool façade.
With the generic one last heist/criminal underworld sequencing, Wright is as talented a ripoff artist as any, but he’s even better when you take away the ripoff part (see the “Cornello trilogy” and “Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World”). There are those who will say that this is just a “Drive” clone- but “Baby” lacks it’s artistic ambition and amazing performances. Here, I’m relieved when Foxx’s character just stops talking. And Elgort may not have the charisma to carry a film such as this. And that’s before we get to whether the movie is politically correct or not.
A semi truck of style, but running on empty for the story, “Baby Driver”’s crew may need to apologize to Mint Royale (the band who wrote the song that “Baby Driver” is based off of) for product displacement.
With the generic one last heist/criminal underworld sequencing, Wright is as talented a ripoff artist as any, but he’s even better when you take away the ripoff part (see the “Cornello trilogy” and “Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World”). There are those who will say that this is just a “Drive” clone- but “Baby” lacks it’s artistic ambition and amazing performances. Here, I’m relieved when Foxx’s character just stops talking. And Elgort may not have the charisma to carry a film such as this. And that’s before we get to whether the movie is politically correct or not.
A semi truck of style, but running on empty for the story, “Baby Driver”’s crew may need to apologize to Mint Royale (the band who wrote the song that “Baby Driver” is based off of) for product displacement.
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