Going in Style (2017)

User Review

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  TheMovieDiorama

  5 / 10

  Going In Style exuberantly moves along swiftly with extreme shallow depth. Meaningless fun is the best description for this comedy caper that enables its central stars to relax and have a good laugh. Narratively speaking though, it lacks heft and bumbles along with its minimal emotional dialogue. Three old men are having trouble in their lives respectively, it all gets horribly worse when their pension is taken from the bank. They take it upon themselves to rob a bank and gain what is rightfully theirs because y'know, life is short. A story that has the best of intentions but ultimately fails to be memorable and unfortunately is only just mildly entertaining. The biggest compliment the film proposes is the dedication in showcasing its three central stars. Arkin, Caine and Freeman have excellent natural chemistry and give suitable performances. Nothing outstanding, just the usual delivery that they are all so famous for, but it's comforting. Braff's direction was fine, I liked some of the editing choices and scene transitions particularly during the interrogation where the picture transforms into split screen in order to traverse between all three characters. It all feels light, fluffy and simple fun. It's just a shame that it wastes the opportunity to elevate itself. The screenplay lacks emotion and suffers from predictability. Sure, some of the dialogue will make you smile not because it's funny, but the fact you feel bad if you don't. It attempts to highlight that retirement years aren't necessarily "game over" in which you can still achieve remarkable feats, but the weightlessness of the script prevents that. Far too empty and far too safe. The FBI agents were useless also, I mean I could've figured out who the culprits were in hours. If this was released ten or twenty years ago, this could be different review. However the mature comedy sub-genre, as niche as it is, is rapidly becoming saturated to which Going In Style plays it too safe to separate itself from the rest. Enjoyable, yet instantly forgettable.

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