Well...
Yes and no. Tower Heist is a movie that owes everything it is, and I mean everything, to its stars. The movie without these stars would literally be nothing and even with them it is still remarkably mediocre. It is not bad by any means, but it is, for lack of a better term, forgettable. It's a movie you see once, laugh a couple times, leave the theater, and wake up the next day hardly remembering you saw it. The plot is fairly simple, but well laid out. Basically all of the employees who work for a fancy New York City hotel/apartment complex have their money stolen by a Forbes 400 member who lives in the tower's penthouse. He promised to invest their money and then is arrested several weeks later by the FBI and awaiting trial for several counts of fraud and other monetary crimes. Once the employees figure that they wont be getting their money back (their life savings for some of them) a few of them decide that they are going to rob the man of his hidden "getaway" money.
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| White Goodman and Donkey! |
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| Race issue of the day: who jumps first? The white man or the black man? |
The main problem that the movie has, and really its the only problem it needs, is that it doesnt know if it wants to be a serious heist movie, or a comedy. There were times where I was looking for a laugh and it wouldnt come and others where I thought the heist talk was going to get serious and a hilarious joke was interjected. The heist scenes are fun, but again that "forgettable" word creeps to mind. Not to mention, it is completely ludicrous how the actual heist carries out. There is just no way, not even with Hollywood magic, that they could have done what they did in this movie short of having Hermione Granger performing spells left and right. But oh well.
My last disappointment with the movie is that Ben Stiller just really isnt that funny. Which isnt his fault, it's his character's. The part was meant to be somewhat serious and to be a leader for the group. To me, it seemed like wasted talent. We all know Ben Stiller can be funny, for God's sake, the guy was the highlight in Dodgeball and Zoolander. But here, he has a few quips that make you smile and that is about it. The real comedic star of the show is Eddie Murphy. And personally, I really hope that he gets his career back. He has had a load of stinkers lately, but he is a one-of-a-kind comedian. No one can match his fast-talking energy or his facial expressions. He just needs the right movie role where he can shine in a comedy that audiences will actually go see. Im thinking that pairing him with Will Ferrell or Steve Carell would instantly revive his career. Tower Heist is a good first step, along with the Shrek movies. As for everyone else? They are all surprisingly funny with what they are given to work with.
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| "I think she is a 22C" "What man? You whack! Those are DD for sure!" *Not actually a line in the movie* |
My suggestion? See Tower Heist for a discount or during a matinee, or rent it when it comes out. It's worth it for a few of the laughs. But dont pay full price and let this movie steal your money, no matter how much Stiller and crew staked out for it.
Pros:
- Some really funny parts. Particularly anytime Eddie Murphy gets carried away and a side-splitting talk about lesbians
- The stars. This movie would simply be nothing without its star power
- Well paced and well explained. Brett Ratner knows how to make a movie simple
- Fun overall; the heist is interesting to watch carried out
- Realistic ending
Cons:
- Cant decide if it is a heist movie or a comedy. The movie suffers for it big time
- The stars. You soon realize that the movie would suck if it didnt have these actors/actresses in it
- Some jokes fall completely on their face, barely warranting a smile
- Stiller seems like a missed opportunity. He does extreme characters the best and it astounds me that Hollywood has forgotten that in past years. Zoolander 2 please
- At the end of the day, Tower Heist is utterly forgettable
Rath's Review Score: 5/10
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