Move Review: Baby Driver, Is it Worth the Spin?
From 2004's "Shaun of the Dead" and beyond, Edgar Wright has established himself as one of cinema's cleverest working directors. His eye for visual comedy is rare, and now he's turning it towards a blend of action and musical routines with "Baby Driver," out this weekend. With a 98% on Rotten Tomatoes, is Wright's blend of toe-tapping and gear-shifting worth a spin? Here's what I have to say about this film:
Ansel Elgort (Divergent, The Fault In Our Stars' actor) stars as the young genius among getaway drivers, who lost his parents in a car crash as a kid. The accident left him with tinnitus, and to cope, "Baby" he listens to music all day to drown out the ringing in his ears. In his everyday life, he's awkward and obsessive, but when he gets behind the wheel of a car, he's a bad-ass, outrunning police and dodging spike strips. Operating under the employ of robbery maestro Doc (Kevin Spacey), Baby quietly works off a debt to his boss by hauling criminals out of harm’s way, while caring for his deaf surrogate stepfather (CJ Jones) on the side. In spite of his job, Baby isn’t a bad guy at heart. We see his charm when he meets a waitress named Deborah (Lily James) at a local diner. They’re both oddballs, dreaming of an easier life free of trouble, hoping to hit the open road together with an iPod full of tunes. After Baby finishes working for Doc, he thinks he’ll have that chance.
The “villains” of this movie are perfectly cast together – Kevin Spacey, who is the brilliant mastermind behind the robbery heists, Jamie Foxx plays a guy called Bats who can't stand or trust Baby. Jon Hamm seems friendly at first, but you begin to sense a deeper creepiness and instant gravitational star power and Eiza González as Hamm’s much-younger girlfriend, who is as scary as she is pretty (the modern day Bonnie and Clyde). With this cast together, you always feel the sense that things might turn violent at any moment.
This movie will have you hooked from the beginning with its unique style, music selection, and brilliant art direction, director Wright knows he has to deliver on the story, and he does. My only side note is, as great as about 80% of the movie was, the last couple of scenes is where I think "Baby Driver" failed at some parts. I won't be giving away any spoilers, but for what's its worth, I still overall enjoyed the movie.
“Baby Driver” feels new. There’s an energy that you can feel in the theater when a movie is really working. This film brings us action, laughable moments, car chases, young romance, that “Baby Driver” will be one of your favorite songs of the year.
I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars. Have a great weekend everyone! - xo Mel
