Universal's ensemble action/comedy feels very, very familiar but there's a lot of actors we enjoy in this one and given the economic depression of the last few years, at least it's inoffensively fun.
Universal have dropped the first trailer for Brett Ratner's upcoming ensemble action/comedy Tower Heist and would it be lazy of me if I said it felt like the Rush Hour films mixed with Ocean's Eleven? If nothing else it's clearly a highly sugared version of Stephen Soderbergh's stylish 2001 caper which aims to follow the same beats and narrative points but with the widest demographic audience in mind at all times, even carrying over one of the Ocean players in Casey Affleck. Ben Stiller stars as an exhausted and overworked manager of a wealthy New York tower block whose last straw comes when it's revealed a Bernie Madoff style Wall Street crook played by Alan Alda has stolen his and his workforces pensions. Whilst Alda is under house arrest in his luxurious high-rising penthouse, Stiller and a bunch of his co-workers Matthew Broderick, Téa Leoni, Michael Peña, and Gabourey Sidibe come up with a scheme to rob his fortune to make them all even. In a refreshingly adult role but still very daft, Eddie Murphy co-stars as a criminal who has history of robbing who helps them out on their job of stealing $20 million. I mean we aren't quite getting the Murphy from the 80's but Christ we will take this over the kids stuff he has been doing for way too long. A lot of actors we enjoy in this one and we'll say this for the trailer.... given the economic depression of the last few years, isn't this a fun movie for the times? Or at least inoffensive? Brett Ratner isn't changing the fabric of cinema here but, you know, it might just be ok;Tower Heist is coming on November 4th in the U.K. and the U.S. Might be fun...