Ed's Review Dot Com

Universal Pictures, Imagine Entertainment, Relativity Media

Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy, Matthew Broderick, Casey Affleck, Michael Peña, Tea Leoni, Gabourey Sidibe, Alan Alda, Judd Hirsch, Nina Arianda

Josh Kovacs (Ben Stiller) is the manager of a posh Central Park building called “The Tower”. It is ritzy and he keeps everything running smoothly from the dog walkers to the doormen, to the cleaning ladies, to the elevator operators and everyone in between. He has a special client living in the penthouse on the top floor, a stock market mogul named Arthur Shaw (Alan Alda). Shaw is a market wizard, so Josh decides to invest the workers entire pension fund with him with the promise to triple it in a year. Needless to say, the workers aren’t too happy when the FBI shows up with a warrant for Mr. Shaw as he is major swindler and took all the money. The money that he owes the banks is enormous compared to the pittance that belongs to the Tower employees, but Josh decides that the expertise that they have makes it possible for them to break into Mr. Shaw’s apartment while he’s out to court and get their money back. He calls together a few friends, including petty thief Slide (Eddie Murphy).

Tower Heist is a pretty funny film. It’s not going to be hugely popular because it’s just not going to appeal to everyone, but the story is rather clever. Not as cerebral as Ocean’s Eleven, but it’s the same type of story in a way. But we get a really good look into the service people who provide the very rich with every indulgence possible. It’s also a chance to root for the underdogs against the evil doers. It’s got a lot of decent comedy and a lot of action, chases, and double crosses. All in all the cast seemed to have a great time with this film.

All that being said, it’s not perfect. It’s not near as funny as Meet the Parents, or nearly as clever as Night in the Museum, but for a simple little comedy, it fills the bill. It’s not Ben Stiller’s best work, but it’s nice to see Eddie Murphy being Eddie Murphy again. He’s still got it.

Maybe it’s worthwhile to hold off on this one until it hits DVD, but as I said upfront, I enjoyed it. It was a great escape for a while, and a lot of fun. I can identify with these guys!

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog