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Such is the case here. Smith is a very likeable actor, able to walk the pimp roll and talk the hipster jive without making you feel so daggy; Robbie is easy on the eye and the mindless glossy escapism is fair enough, but the best thing about the movie is that you don’t have to endure any screeching Formula One racing.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS FOCUS As an offshoot of the anti-hero paradigm, the crim-as-good-guy is a relatively recent development. I once owned a camera that I had saved up for stolen, so I am less willing to hold thieves dear to my heart, but seeing as how it’s so fashionable to be bad I don’t want to sound too churlish. Suave and hip Nicky (Will Smith), and sexy, sophisticated Jess (Margot Robbie) casually pass the days swanning around swank resorts and exclusive bars in designer gear. With their network of scammers, they have a high old time of it by pinching punters’ wallets, handbags and credit cards (the next time some low-life rips you off, instead of being angry, try to be grateful that you have contributed to their trip to Bali). At the conclusion of a milliondollar operation, Nicky discards Jess when she becomes surplus to requirements – but he has made the fatal mistake of falling in love with her. We jump to Buenos Aries a few years later where he has somehow smarmed his way into the entourage of Garrigo (Rodrigo Santoro), a leading driver on the Grand Prix circuit. Rodrigo hatches a plan to give false technical information to his opponents, and he will pay Nicky a heap of money to help him do it. But who do you reckon turns up to throw Nicky off stride? Jess is at the beautiful-people-only pre-race soiree and, as they say in Screenwriting 101, things get complicated. My personal preference in flicks such as this is for the story to be, if not rock-solid believable, at least in the realms of possibility. When the plot points and coincidences go beyond what is credible, it just gets silly.
This entirely forgettable movie is most notable for the physical appearance of Dave Franco – I had no idea he was so tiny. Standing next to Tom Wilkinson he is small enough, but when in the same frame as the admittedly gigantic Vince Vaughn he looks like a little boy just out of primary school. And his diminutive stature is accentuated by the fact that the character he plays is juvenile to the point almost of being retarded. I simply could not figure what his function was in the story, for he does nothing except be there and be stupid.
WEDNESDAY
11 MAR to
WEDNESDAY
Then again, Wilkinson does nothing either. As the idiot without the savant bit, Franco tags along with the other two when Vaughn leaves his job in a hugely successful marketing agency after a row with his bitchy boss (Siena Miller) – it is a scene in which there is more than the mere scent of misogyny. The guys form their own company and find themselves in direct competition with Siena for a mind-blowing contract with a Euro-knob that will be worth g’zillions. Other than featuring some diverting shots of Berlin, however, there is nothing remotely interesting in a screenplay that is sloppy and slapdash. He is not to everyone’s taste (I think he’s terrific), but as a comic actor, Vaughn can usually be relied on to at least deliver a line with timing and panache, but the gags in this fly like the Hindenberg. It is only when Vaughn is compelled to accept accommodation in a German museum’s art installation – American Bussinessman 42 – that the script attempts to venture beyond the banal, but director Ken Scott is otherwise content to rely for laughs on penises sticking through dunny doors in a gay bar and naked negotiations in a sauna. You get the picture? A half-hearted attempt is made at commenting on body-image and school bullying, with Vaughn comforting and offering sage advice to his obese son, but the movie is a waste of time for all involved.
18 MAR
MOVIE CLUB PRICES Adult $12.00 / Golden Club $8.50
byron bay apr 9-14 NOW SHOWING
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BYRON BAY FILM FESTIVAL 2015 (No Free Tix) www.bbff.com.au Wed 11: 6:15pm - THE GIFT + DON MIGUEL (CTC) - Fri 13: 8.30 ALMOST MARRIED + ONE NIGHT ONLY (CTC) - Sat 14: 8.30pm TOUCH + THE RUN (CTC) - Sun 15: 6.15 THE CENTER + 3 SHORT FILMS (OPEN SPACES, CIGANO + RHODODENDRON) (CTC) INHERENT VICE (MA15+) (No Free Tix) Thu 12, Mon 16-Wed 18: 1:30, 3:30, 6:40, 9:00pm Fri 13, Sat 14: 12:50, 3:30, 6:15, 9:00pm Sun 15: 12:45, 3:30, 6:30, 8:40pm
Federal Hall Sat March 14
FOCUS (MA15+) (No Free Tix) Wed 11: 1:30, 4:15, 9:00 Thu 12, Mon 16-Wed 18: 2:00, 4:30, 9:35pm Fri 13, Sat 14: 1:25, 3:50, 6:05pm Sun 15: 1:35, 4:00, 9:30pm
THE SECOND BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL (PG) (No Free Tix) Wed 11: 11:15am, 1:45, 6:30pm Thu 12, Mon 16-Wed 18: 11:00am, 1:00, 6:30pm Fri 13-Sun 15: 10:30am, 1:00, 6:30pm FIFTY SHADES OF GREY (MA15+) Wed 11: 11:00am, 4:00, 9:15pm Thu 12, Mon 16-Wed 18: 11:20am Fri 13, Sat 14: 10:50am Sun 15: 11:00am WHAT WE DID ON OUR HOLIDAY (PG) Wed 11: 3:45, 6:45 Thu 12, Mon 16-Wed 18: 11:00, 7:00 Fri 13, Sat 14: 10:45 Sun 15: 10:40am KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE (MA15) Wed 11: 10:50, 8:45 Thu 12, Mon 16-Wed 18: 4:15, 9:10pm Fri 13, Sat 14: 3:40, 9:10pm Sun 15: 3:50, 9:00pm All sessions are correct at the time of publication. Current session times at: www.palacecinemas.com.au
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30 March 11, 2015 The Byron Shire Echo
Byron Shire Echo archives: www.echo.net.au/byron-echo