Morgan
Freeman Michael Caine Alan Arkin Matt Dillon
Joey King Peter Serafinowicz Ann Margret Kenan Thompson
Going in
Style is primarily a comedy, highlighting its three main stars (Freeman,
Caine, Arkin), their struggles with aging, and the mixture of easy camaraderie
and insults going on between them.
It’s a remake of the 1979 Going in
Style with George Burns, Art Carney, and Lee Strassberg. As in the previous
version, to spice it up, a bit of “justifiable” crime antics loosely akin to
that in the recent Hell or High Water
(at least in its rationale) make it much more interesting. It plays on the immediate fears of
older people today about their pensions and Social Security and the anger
toward contemporary banks for their misbehavior.
Joe (Caine) is in a bad place because he is
financing his granddaughter’s education; Willie has major kidney problems that
need attention, and Albert (Arkin) is simply trying to survive. When the company they worked for, for
years, pulls the rug out from under them, they have to figure out a plan. About the same time that Joe is having
discussions with his obtuse, unsympathetic banker who sold him a policy that
eventually tripled his mortgage payment (reminiscent of hundreds of such scams
in our recent past), thieves hold up the bank. When they get away with a million plus dollars, Joe says,
“Hmmm…”
The film proceeds formulaically like a comedy
show with precise timing of jokes, human interest segments, and clever twists
of plot. A romantic connection is
clearly inserted to appease those who need that element. But the major twist toward the end
involves an astute child wise beyond her years. I guess it was the only way the filmmakers could get out of
a bit of a mess, and it will surely please most of the audience.
Directed by Zach Braff (Garden State, Wish I was Here),
a man much younger than the character and actors, it helps us empathize with so
many older Americans who have lost their pensions to corporate thoughtlessness,
greed, and bank scams. Leads
Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, and Alan Arkin are all pros who have worked
together previously in various combinations, and they give gravitas to the
production. Strong supporting
roles are played by Dillon, Margret, Thompson, and King. The soundtrack and original music of
Rob Simonsen provide entertaining,
lyrical tunes as an accompaniment.
An updated, timely version of three old
friends’ lives.
