Stand Up Guys
(USA, 93 min.)
Dir. Fisher Stevens, Writ. Noah Hadle
Starring: Al Pacino, Christopher Walken, Alan Arkin,
Julianna Margulies, Lucy Punch, Vanessa Ferlito, Mark Margolis, Addison Timlin.
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| Christopher Walken, Alan Arkin and Al Pacino star in Stand Up Guys Courtesy of eOne Films |
“Hey guys,” says Peter Farrelly, “wouldn’t it be funny if Movie 43 had some old actor like Al
Pacino take a boner pill?” Al Pacino takes a Viagra in Stand Up Guys (a whole handful, in fact), but rather than providing
some facile sketch for Farrelly and company, the little blue pill cures the
actor of the impotence that’s been plaguing him since Gigli. Sharing the screen with Christopher Walken, who continues
his string of strong performances of late (see: A Late Quartet), Pacino gives his best film performance in quite some time in Stand Up Guys. What could have very well
been a geriatric sex sketch, Stand Up
Guys shows how a mediocre film can be redeemed when great actors are given
roles worth playing.
The old friends reminisce about the old days over drinks and
surf ‘n’ turf. They also visit a whorehouse (cue the Viagra), steal a car, bust
their pal (Alan Arkin) out of a retirement home, perform a few petty robberies,
and assist a damsel in distress (Vanessa Ferlito). Funny scenarios of dirty old
men ensue, as do so fine nods to the actors’ careers, such as a nice bit with
Al Pacino that pays homage to the tango scene in Scent of a Woman, but much of the time in Val’s big party simply
feels like filler. The detours in the friends’ soirée include a cast of awkward
and unnecessary supporting players, especially a contrived subplot involving
Hirsh’s daughter (Julianna Margulies) and a series of dinner dates with a
waitress friend of Doc’s (Addison Timlin). Alan Arkin also appears for roughly
five minutes of sex jokes (no Viagra), but then disappears abruptly and
pointlessly after crossing a something dirty off his bucket list.
The series of silly episodes—sketches, really—mask the
deeper conflict that’s worthy of the actors’ talents. As retribution for the
deed for which Val was convicted, Doc is tasked by a mobster (Mark Margolis) to
execute Val for killing his son. Val acknowledges the fate that awaits him
early in the evening – during their first meal, actually. (The first of four meals.)
Val and Doc continue their fun throughout the night, turning a “welcome home”
party into a send-off, and the two stand up guys ruminate about their
friendship and the honour among thieves that kept their friendship intact all
these years.
Stand Up Guys
never really goes anywhere with the moral dilemma that underlies the folly of
the evening. It never achieves the gravitas of Quartet or The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel as it puts two Oldfellas on the final chapter of their life
of crime. (The Last Stand is even a
better tale of aged gunslinging.) Rather than probe the moral codes of
friendship, or the toils of life on the run, the film satisfies itself with
trite situational comedy. It’s a waste of talent, really, when one imagines
what could have been achieved by having these two eccentric actors go out with
a bang.
On the other hand, the film offers the treat of watching veteran
actors at the top of their game. Pacino and Walken both relish the last hurrah
of their con men, and they consistently elevate the material beyond a passable
diversion. The car chases and boner jokes aren’t the prized scenes of Stand Up Guys. It’s the scenes of Al
Pacino, hunched over a table, reminiscing about the good old days in his raspy
voice, or of Christopher Walken delivering a poignant monologue with his
signature strangeness that really sell the show. It’s a shame, though, that
Pacino and Walken did not find a better film in which to shine, but the actors
are stand up guys for bringing this material to a higher level.
Rating: ★★★ (out of ★★★★★)
Stand Up Guys is currently playing in Ottawa at Empire Kanata and Cineplex South
Keys.
