REVIEW: Stand Up Guys

MOVIE
Stand Up Guys

CAST
Al Pacino, Christopher Walken

RATING
R

RELEASE
December 14, 2012 (NY/LA)
February 1, 2013

DIRECTOR
Fisher Stevens

STUDIO
Lionsgate

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 34 minutes







STARS
****





ORIGINALLY POSTED ON OCTOBER 31, 2012
AS A PART OF THE PHILADELPHIA FILM FESTIVAL



REVIEW:

Damn is the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of this movie. 'Stand Up Guys' just had its world premiere a few weeks ago, and looks to not be screened for people until the beginning of 2013, which is when the movie gets released, courtesy of Lionsgate. This film stars Al Pacino, Christopher Walken, and Alan Arkin as a group of criminals who want one last night out inspired by the good old days before one of them has to be executed. The trailer personally didn't wow me like I was hoping it would, but I still thought the film looked interesting. To my surprise, this movie was more than interesting, to say the least. 'Stand Up Guys' is funny, heartfelt at times, action-packed when necessary, and overall a whole lot of fun.

The three leads of the film all stand out in their own way. Al Pacino delivers a great performance that is both charming and hilarious. Pacino's performance in this proves that he still has it, despite being in a few action movies over the past few years. Equally as great is Christopher Walken, who is a nice presence to have in here. Just like Pacino, he's charming and hilarious. However Walken's character has a lot more heart than one would expect from the trailer, which I was pleasantly surprised by. Alan Arkin is just hilarious in his small role in the film. He's shown to be the badass ladies’ man that just happens to live in a retirement home under the mask of an oxygen tank. The best part of these three performances is that none of them outshine each other. They all steal the film in their own way, which I personally loved to see. Even the supporting actors in the movie are great, but none of them can be compared to the three main leads.

The best aspect about the movie is the screenplay/story. All of the events shown in the movie happen over the course of one day, which means the audience is following these characters on their last day of being old friends. The three leads meet many characters over the duration of the movie, and luckily none of the small characters over stay their welcome. Of all of the small characters, the one with the biggest part is a waitress at a cafe, but even her story is resolved in its own way, and the way it was couldn't have been done any better. The thing that may have people scratching their heads in the film is the ending of the movie, which it's supposed to do. It's more of an interpretation ending, ala 'Inception' or 'The Soprano's,' and once again, I loved it. This screenplay isn't meant to be an awards qualifying script, but I just absolutely loved it.

'Stand Up Guys' isn't meant to be an awards player this season, unless one is thinking about the Golden Globes. This is the type of movie where one should go to so they can see three Academy Award winners have the time of their lives. The acting is great, the story keeps the audience intrigued throughout, and the script is much better than one would expect. The film gets raunchy at times, but it never goes over the top like many of this year's R rated comedies get. When this film becomes available, I'd highly recommend checking this out. 'Stand Up Guys' is funny, fresh, and flat-out fun that I cannot wait to revisit when it comes out in theaters.