Tower Heist (Universal)
Rated PG-13 for language and sexual content.
Starring Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy, Casey Affleck, Alan Alda, Matthew Broderick, Stephen Henderson, Judd Hirsch, Téa Leoni, Michael Peña, Gabourey Sidibe, Nina Arianda, Marcia Jean Kurtz, Juan Carlos Hernández.
Written by Ted Griffin, Jeff Nathanson, Adam Cooper and Bill Collage.
Directed by Brett Rattner.
GRADE: B
REVIEW:
Tower Heist is the story of some hotel employees who turn over their life savings to a rich swindler who manages to pad his wallet while losing all their money - and the employees attempt to steal it back through a breaking into the swindler's penthouse apartment.
The leader of the band is Josh Kovacs (Ben Stiller), the building manager for The Tower, a posh high rise hotel in central Manhattan. In the recent past Josh urged his co-workers to give all their money Arthur Shaw (Alan Alda), he sole resident of building's penthouse suite. When Shaw is arrested and placed on house arrest for securities fraud, the employees discover that Shaw has invested their life savings in a Ponzi scheme and that he will most likely get away with it. Josh confronts Shaw, goes nuts and begins to wail on Shaw's Ferrari (look out for Mr. Furious), which happens to be parked in the middle of his apartment on the top floor of The Tower.
After getting fired, Josh gathers a small group of jilted employees and hatches a plan to break into Shaw's penthouse and steal back their money that they think he has socked away in a hidden wall safe. Josh's gang includes his brother-in-law Charlie (Casey Affleck), doorman Enrique (Michael Pena), maid Odessa (Gabourey Siddibe), and recently evicted Tower tenant Mr. Fitzhugh (Matthew Broderick). When it becomes apparent that a bunch of nerds and misfits aren't capable of pulling off such a complicated scheme, Josh enlists a neighborhood career criminal named Slide (Eddie Murphy) to help them get a little edge and a clue on how to commit larceny.
When the big day of the caper arrives, the gang encounters more than a few snags, including a betrayal from their ranks and he efforts of the FBI, including special agent Claire Denham (Tea Leoni) who is enlisted with the task of watching Shaw and his apartment.
I won't tell you how it turns out, but it's safe to say that Tower Heist ends up quite similar to other caper movies where the evil rich guys get theirs and the criminals get a little more than they bargained for.
Tower Heist is at times very funny with adequate performances from the ensemble cast, even though Stiller and Murphy tend to phone in previous characters (Murphy, as the ebonic-yelling tough guy, i.e. 48 Hours' Reggie Hammond - Stiller as the picked-on nerd in need of some catharsis). There are times, however, when the story drags on and the gags seem a little forced. The resolution of the caper also has a plot full of more than a few holes.
Even with its faults, Tower Heist is a formidable comedy with enough laughs to keep most of the audience interested, especially since the idea of an evil rich man taking regular folks' money to pad his pockets through a Ponzi scheme is so relevant with the Bernie Madoff scandal so fresh in everyone's mind.
Tower Heist won't steal your heart, but it might steal a few laughs.
