Baby Love

Rating: 8/10 (3 July 2017)

(RATING: ☆☆☆☆ out of 5 )
GRADE: B
THIS FILM IS RECOMMENDED.
IN BRIEF: A fast and furious heist film with jaw-dropping car stunts that takes the moviegoer on a wild ride, as long as one can accepts its many leaps of logic.
SYNOPSIS: After finding true love, a getaway driver wants to leave the world of crime.
JIM'S REVIEW: Baby (Ansel Elgort) is a loner who likes high speed action. He loves the fast and furious high octane lifestyle. Give him a car and he can move from zero to 120 like no one else can. Which makes him the perfect getaway driver and gives him a passport into the profitable world of crime.
Injured in a car accident as a child that left him parent-less and with a permanent case of tinnitus (a constant ringing in his ears), Baby drowns out the real world with classic rock music as his live soundtrack. This also helps him concentrate better on his unique driving skills. Of course, he eventually meets Debora (Lily James), a cute waitress who steals Baby's heart while he steals other items.
Now they say, crime doesn't pay, although Baby is making a killing...that is until Baby wants out of the crime game. Doc, crime czar and all-around bad guy, played with over-the-top menace by Kevin Spacey, won't hear it. Hence, the basic conflict.
Edgar Wright wrote and directed this action heist thriller and he takes his simple (very simple) story, fills each frame with exciting stunt work, and creates memorable offbeat characters. Baby's bank robbing cohorts are a colorful motley crew. They include Jamie Foxx (Jamie Foxx), Griff (Jon Bernthal), Eddie No-Nose (Flea), JD (Lanny Joon), and Buddy (Jon Hamm), and his darling, Darling (Eiza Gonzalez). All of the cast know that the story is preposterous but they play their roles with high energy, rapturous glee, and a knowing satirical wink to the audience. (Especially fine are Mr. Hamm and Ms. Gonzalez as a crazed modern day Bonnie and Clyde.) Yes, the plot is silly and devoid of any real depth or logic, especially as it accelerates to its tidy little upbeat ending, but it is lots of fun.
Baby Driver is all action too, more like a demolition derby with multiple chase scenes than a serious movie about crime and punishment. It's Reservoir Dogs with the sardonic humor and without the excessive bloodbath or wit. Call it Grand Theft with Auto, set to music. Skillful as it may be, the film still seems like an endless series of music videos looped together to form a movie. All the action moves with a strong syncopated beat, highly choreographed for our enjoyment. It's full throttle escapism. The first movie musical about cars.
Baby Driver presents a major case of style over substance and style mostly wins out. Kudos to the excellent taut editing by Paul Machliss and Jonathan Amos and Bill Pope's electric hued photography that gives the film its unique look. Mr. Wright stages and choreographs his action sequences with an edgy disregard for realism. He also keeps his characters from being lost in all the maelstrom of revved engines and motor mayhem by developing individuals with distinct personalities and lasting traits. (Loved the his and hers neck tattoos.)
All remains suspenseful and riveting, that is, until the film takes a sharp detour in its third act, veering hopelessly into typical chase and crash mode. Some of its characters start to act out of character, acting more like mere plot devices set in motion to tidy up all the loose ends. In fact, the movie never explains how characters know the whereabouts of others in order to seek revenge and one character's "change of heart" makes little sense and actually weakens the story-line. Too many leaps of logic.
Still, fasten your safety belts and move over, Quentin! Edgar Wright's well made film is for adrenaline junkies everywhere; serious film-goers may enjoy it too, as long as they slip their minds into neutral. With a plot that defies logic and having enough potholes to do major damage to one's faculties, Baby Driver is a joyride.