Baby Driver
The latest movie by one of my favorite director's Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Scott Pilgrim, Hot Fuzz) is a crazy film about crazy people doing crazy things. In all seriousness, Baby Driver follows the story of a boy name Baby, yes baby, who is a getaway driver for a crime boss who has him working with different teams of crooks in different heists. Baby has a strong connection with music, and can only drive if he's listening to his music... actually he's pretty much listening to music at all times. This connection with music is an important part of who he is, but it's a mystery as to why it's so important to him and confuses his colleagues. When Baby meets the love of his life Deborah, who is a waitress at a diner, he tries to find a way out of his life of crime and spend the rest of his life with her. It's not going to be as easy as he thinks with his partners in crime standing in the way.
Baby Driver is a crazy movie, but that's what it's trying to be and it does it very well. Most of the characters are over-the-top and some actually ARE crazy, but it's so much fun to watch. Lots of great performances from actors like Jamie Foxx, Jon Hamm, Eiza Gonzalez Jon Bernthal and Kevin Spacey who all play the crazy criminals Baby has to work with. There's lots of great tension between the criminals and Baby as they wonder who he is and why he's there. Jamie Foxx in particular was great at playing his character. The writing and Foxx's acting did a good job at making you really hate his character, which is what they were going for. It's easy to tell that the actor's had a good time making this movie by watching it.
The star of this movie though is of course Baby himself played by Ansel Elgort, who i've never really heard of until this movie, but he was really good as Baby. Playing a stranger than normal character who has headphones on throughout the whole movie, he did a good job at selling his problems and his true desires for his life. I understood Baby's struggle through the movie and I was cheering for him throughout. I've never really seen many characters like him in film, especially as the lead character, so I found it really refreshing to watch him as the lead. His character IS a bit strange, but it doesn't feel out of place with the rest of the movie. He actually ends up being one of the more normal characters by the end of it. He's a character I easily related with as the film went on, which made the action better.
The action itself is the best part of the movie because it's done so well. You get the sense of danger, stakes and tension from those scenes and it's so exciting to watch. The driving stunts are all done very well too, nothing feels fake and you really feel like you're a part of it thanks to the way it was all shot. Baby is supposed to be a getaway driver for a big crime boss, and they do a good job with the driving sequences to show you why he was chosen to be the driver. Music is used as a big part of the action too, since it's a a huge part of Baby's character. A good use of a song can really add to the excitement and craziness of a getaway.
I had a lot of fun watching Baby Driver, it's a great movie to sit down with some popcorn at a theatre and just enjoy. It's crazy, it's weird and it's never boring. Movies like these are what I enjoy seeing the most in the theatre, because it's fresh and new and tries different things. Sometimes that doesn't always translate to a good film, but in this case it doesn't just make a good film... it makes a great one.
Overall Grade: B+
Baby Driver is a crazy movie, but that's what it's trying to be and it does it very well. Most of the characters are over-the-top and some actually ARE crazy, but it's so much fun to watch. Lots of great performances from actors like Jamie Foxx, Jon Hamm, Eiza Gonzalez Jon Bernthal and Kevin Spacey who all play the crazy criminals Baby has to work with. There's lots of great tension between the criminals and Baby as they wonder who he is and why he's there. Jamie Foxx in particular was great at playing his character. The writing and Foxx's acting did a good job at making you really hate his character, which is what they were going for. It's easy to tell that the actor's had a good time making this movie by watching it.
The star of this movie though is of course Baby himself played by Ansel Elgort, who i've never really heard of until this movie, but he was really good as Baby. Playing a stranger than normal character who has headphones on throughout the whole movie, he did a good job at selling his problems and his true desires for his life. I understood Baby's struggle through the movie and I was cheering for him throughout. I've never really seen many characters like him in film, especially as the lead character, so I found it really refreshing to watch him as the lead. His character IS a bit strange, but it doesn't feel out of place with the rest of the movie. He actually ends up being one of the more normal characters by the end of it. He's a character I easily related with as the film went on, which made the action better.
The action itself is the best part of the movie because it's done so well. You get the sense of danger, stakes and tension from those scenes and it's so exciting to watch. The driving stunts are all done very well too, nothing feels fake and you really feel like you're a part of it thanks to the way it was all shot. Baby is supposed to be a getaway driver for a big crime boss, and they do a good job with the driving sequences to show you why he was chosen to be the driver. Music is used as a big part of the action too, since it's a a huge part of Baby's character. A good use of a song can really add to the excitement and craziness of a getaway.
I had a lot of fun watching Baby Driver, it's a great movie to sit down with some popcorn at a theatre and just enjoy. It's crazy, it's weird and it's never boring. Movies like these are what I enjoy seeing the most in the theatre, because it's fresh and new and tries different things. Sometimes that doesn't always translate to a good film, but in this case it doesn't just make a good film... it makes a great one.
Overall Grade: B+
