If you know your headlines about Bernie Madoff's Ponzi schemes and how he has ripped off numerous clients investing with him, then it helps more to enjoy "Tower Heist." Alan Alda plays the Madoff-based character, Arthur Shaw, a cunning, devious financial snake who lives in a luxurious apartment modeled on Trump Tower and in the same location of Columbus Circle, New York. Mocking Trump and Madoff is quite a doozy and a daily double for Alda. Shaw has stolen millions of dollars from many of his employees, stored it in his red Ferrari once owned by Steve McQueen inside his living room, and now those employees want to rob him back.
Among the employees are Ben Stiller as Josh Kovacs, the manager of the building who organizes the revenge scam, and his accomplices are the bumbling bellhop Enrique (Michael Pena), a self-pitying evicted tenant and unemployed stockbroker named Fitzhugh (Matthew Broderick), the not-so-bright concierge Charlie and Josh's brother-in-law(Casey Affleck) who is about to become a father and worries about the future for his wife and upcoming child, the quick-witted housekeeper (Gabourey Sidibe, who became a major star after her Oscar nomination for "Precious," and wants to lend comedy a hand) whose father was a safecracker, and the wisecracking street hoodlum named Slide (Eddie Murphy, returning to his original smart-mouth acting form from the last 30 years) whom Josh knew as a child and is recruited by Josh and the gang.
The gang is ready to turn the tables on Shaw, and they end up finding the loot, along with a ledger inside the Ferrari. They dangle the Ferrari outside the apartment during a Thanksgiving parade, and are all arrested by the FBI. In exchange for the ledger, everyone else is set free, but Josh plea bargains and serves a two-year sentence.
The other cast members, in addition to the gang, are Tea Leoni as the pert FBI Agent Claire Denham in charge of the case who becomes Josh's apple of his eye, although the relationship is platonic, Judd Hirsch as Mr. Simon, the boss for Josh and the others who fires them after Josh admits that a retiring doorman named Lester attempted suicide after losing to Shaw right in front of Shaw, and Stephen McKinley Henderson as Lester, the would-be-suicide who has a few scenes laying in a hospital bed.
It is too bad that only get to see Eddie Murphy in the second hour of the movie, but it is refreshing to see him return to young form. Ben Stiller is less frenetic than usual, but he gets to chew scenery as he usually does. The real star of the movie is Alan Alda, who can skewer and parody Madoff mercilessly and give Madoff the due he deserves. The supporting cast is game, but the strongest performance is by Gabby Sidibe, the safecracking expert who shows she can do comedy. The self-pitying performances of Matthew Broderick, Casey Affleck, and Michael Pena wore thin, but Sidibe shows all her confidence in her part, which makes her the best vengeful crook.
Now this movie may not make history or have that much bit, but it is an amiable crime caper that kept me amused. Some people may find people like Stiller and Murphy repeating themselves in a "greatest hits" sort of performances. I felt that somewhat. As I said before, Alda and Sidibe had the best performances of all. And to fully understand the movie, you have to know the headlines or you can be lost. There is a lot of detail to the movie which tries to make it interesting, and some of the details are a bit too much.
"Tower Heist" is entertaining and informative in its way. It's not perfect but it's enjoyable. It's well worth your money.
Among the employees are Ben Stiller as Josh Kovacs, the manager of the building who organizes the revenge scam, and his accomplices are the bumbling bellhop Enrique (Michael Pena), a self-pitying evicted tenant and unemployed stockbroker named Fitzhugh (Matthew Broderick), the not-so-bright concierge Charlie and Josh's brother-in-law(Casey Affleck) who is about to become a father and worries about the future for his wife and upcoming child, the quick-witted housekeeper (Gabourey Sidibe, who became a major star after her Oscar nomination for "Precious," and wants to lend comedy a hand) whose father was a safecracker, and the wisecracking street hoodlum named Slide (Eddie Murphy, returning to his original smart-mouth acting form from the last 30 years) whom Josh knew as a child and is recruited by Josh and the gang.
The gang is ready to turn the tables on Shaw, and they end up finding the loot, along with a ledger inside the Ferrari. They dangle the Ferrari outside the apartment during a Thanksgiving parade, and are all arrested by the FBI. In exchange for the ledger, everyone else is set free, but Josh plea bargains and serves a two-year sentence.
The other cast members, in addition to the gang, are Tea Leoni as the pert FBI Agent Claire Denham in charge of the case who becomes Josh's apple of his eye, although the relationship is platonic, Judd Hirsch as Mr. Simon, the boss for Josh and the others who fires them after Josh admits that a retiring doorman named Lester attempted suicide after losing to Shaw right in front of Shaw, and Stephen McKinley Henderson as Lester, the would-be-suicide who has a few scenes laying in a hospital bed.
It is too bad that only get to see Eddie Murphy in the second hour of the movie, but it is refreshing to see him return to young form. Ben Stiller is less frenetic than usual, but he gets to chew scenery as he usually does. The real star of the movie is Alan Alda, who can skewer and parody Madoff mercilessly and give Madoff the due he deserves. The supporting cast is game, but the strongest performance is by Gabby Sidibe, the safecracking expert who shows she can do comedy. The self-pitying performances of Matthew Broderick, Casey Affleck, and Michael Pena wore thin, but Sidibe shows all her confidence in her part, which makes her the best vengeful crook.
Now this movie may not make history or have that much bit, but it is an amiable crime caper that kept me amused. Some people may find people like Stiller and Murphy repeating themselves in a "greatest hits" sort of performances. I felt that somewhat. As I said before, Alda and Sidibe had the best performances of all. And to fully understand the movie, you have to know the headlines or you can be lost. There is a lot of detail to the movie which tries to make it interesting, and some of the details are a bit too much.
"Tower Heist" is entertaining and informative in its way. It's not perfect but it's enjoyable. It's well worth your money.