Capsule Review: Baby Driver

Rating: 2/10 (22 January 2018)

If there's one thing that Baby Driver gets right then it is the soundtrack, but this is no Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 where the soundtrack was relevant and enhanced the film's appeal. Here, the tracks are played randomly with the hope that just because they are catchy, upbeat, or generally hummable, they will have the audience hooked. Director and writer Edgar Wright carves a story that has no character background or development and depends on second-hand car chase sequences and cringe-worthy dialogues to keep his characters occupied. Chocolate boy Ansel Elgort plays the young and stylish version of the Transporter where he drives armed gangs to and from heist locations. With few stupid idiosyncratic reservations of his own just so to make himself look smart, he further annoys his audience with unmotivated actions and gets absorbed into a gummy romance written without an iota of imagination. You are to believe that his constant exposure to random music helps him maneuver cars better for there is no explanation as to how this taciturn kid with parental issues learned driving like a knife of butter. There's a hint somewhere, but of course Wright didn't think it was enough for an informed audience. He's a good kid, some of his characters say of him sometime in the film, but they miss the part about how irritating he is. Almost every other character has shades of absurdity that doesn't gel well with whatever the story is all about. Throwing Easter eggs about other popular heist movies does not and will not make a movie better. It at least has to have remarkable car chase sequences, witty dialogues, and a strong and substantial plot, none of which this film excels in. And the final 10 minutes are the worst I have seen all year. Baby Driver is a fast-paced drivel that can make even lovable actors like Jon Hamm and Jamie Foxx look poor in retrospect. I watched this after the news story about Kevin Spacey came out, and yes, it did negatively impact my experience. But Baby Driver has bigger issues. TN.