Man, we haven’t had such an enjoyable time at the movies in a long time.
Fated and condemned as we are to watching an endless run of trashy Bollywood and Kollywood movies, it was a refreshing change to watch the new Hollywood release Tower Heist this evening.
Directed by Brett Ratner, this delicious comedy features A-list actors Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy along with the fine supporting cast of Casey Affleck, Alan Ada, Matthew Broderick, Michael Peña and Téa Leoni as the FBI agent.
Of course, every actor listed above did a superb job but we owe more, so much more, to Tower Heist’s writers Bill Collage, Adam Cooper and Ted Griffin who conjured up this comedy.
By the way, Griffin also co-wrote the engrossing screenplay with Jeff Nathanson.
At a theater on the East Coast, the large crowd through frequent guffaws made no secret of their great delight with the movie.
Robbing a Wall Street Crook
As every child in America knows by now, the Wall Street robber barons who have brought America’s economy to its knees through their esoteric Credit Default Swaps, hedges and counter-hedges, bets and counter-bets and other shenanigans have gotten away with a disgraceful impunity.
Tower Heist is the story of a small bunch of working class stiffs who take their revenge on one such Wall Street billionaire crook, Arthur Shaw.
A big time crook, played by Alan Ada, Arthur has robbed countless individuals including the pensions of the employees of the plush Manhattan apartment tower in which he lives in splendid opulence.
Ben Stiller is Josh Kovacs, the sincere manager of the luxurious apartment tower where Arthur and other super-wealthy people live.
We’ll try not to give away too much of the story lest it spoils your fun.
But an angry Josh rouses some of his co-workers and a small-time con named Slide (Eddie Murphy) into a scheme to avenge the betrayal by Arthur.
Why do they have to do it themselves?
Because in the movie, as in real life, the government does not have the balls, the capability or the willingness to take on Wall Street’s high crimes.
After all, the motto of Wall Street is Socialism for the failed bankers and Capitalism (with all its attendant risks) for the millions of nameless working class stiffs.
The comedy of Tower Heist lies in the planning, training and, ultimately, the execution of a bizarre plan to get some sort of justice for being robbed by a callous bastard with a private island in Belize, a private jet, a private yacht and other assorted luxuries purchased on the stiff backs of the working class stiffs who toiled for decades to save modest sums for their retirement.
Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy are absolutely divine in Tower Heist, one controlled and the other completely uncontrolled in his talk, walk, demeanor and action.
No marks for guessing who plays the uncontrolled nut-job.
The interaction between Eddie Murphy’s Slide and his fellow accomplices (all White characters) is hilarious.
Life is often about the unexpected and Tower Heist’s creators make sure there’s enough twists and surprises to prevent the movie from descending into the easily predictable.
Just in case, all ye desi chutiyas are keen on an Indian connection, Ben Stiller’s character Josh loves Indian food. After all, early in the movie he mentions a takeout from the Poonjab Palace.
SearchIndia.com strongly recommends Tower Heist this weekend.
Tower Heist is playing at theaters across the U.S.
Tower Heist Review – Don’t Miss this Funny Bitch added by SearchIndia.com on
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Sounds like a fun movie.
Did SI watch “The Ides of March”?
SearchIndia.com Responds:
No, we missed the Ides of March.
One of these days, we’ll watch it.
Like millions of moviegoers worldwide, we’re in love with Clooney! 😉
Then you should watch The Descendants which is releasing soon.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Surprised that they didn’t show the trailer for The Descendants today.
They screened 7 or 8 previews today including a Denzel Washington CIA film Safe House, Avengers (Robert Downey) and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (a thriller based on the eponymous novel by John le Carré).
I think the second Sherlock Holmes movie is coming soon. I saw the previews recently.
Is SI a fan of the Tintin comics? Spielberg’s version of “The Adventures of Tintin” is coming to the US in December. Unfortunately it is an animation…
SearchIndia.com Responds:
1. Read about the upcoming Sherlock Holmes film the other day.
We haven’t seen the previews but will likely see the film.
2. Tintin? Oh yeah, read tons of Tintin comics. Maybe, we’ve even read the entire lot.
We’ll see Spielberg’s version of “The Adventures of Tintin” when it debuts here.
Thanks for the review, I will watch Tower Heist soon.
I just watched Saheb, biwi, aur gangster.
It’s decent movie. Pls add that one to your list SI. Talk to u later.. 🙂
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Will see Saheb, biwi, aur gangster.
This just in!!!
Salman ‘killing with an SUV‘ Khan is studying nuclear physics for his upcoming film “Ek tha Tiger” for his role as a scientist…For this role, he needed to know the background of nuclear science and so he read up material on nuclear physics…
LOL!!! How is that going to improve the acting abilities of this baboon??
SearchIndia.com Responds:
You write: Salman ‘killing with an SUV‘ Khan is studying nuclear physics for his upcoming film “Ek tha Tiger” for his role as a scientist
We wake up and the first thing we see is “Salman Khan” and “studying Nuclear Physics” in the same sentence…..well, that’s enough to drive anyone nuts.
Kinda like Hitler and “observing Sabbath” in the same sentence. Makes no sense whatsoever.
BTW, we think Ek Tha Chuha would be a more appropriate name considering Salman’s propensity to run, particularly from crime scenes. 😉
I flipped when I saw that “news”!
By the way Ek Tha Tiger” isn’t all that wrong.
After all, Tiger belongs to the Pussy family. 😉
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Pussy, of course.
But we’d like to think that Salman ‘Chuha‘ Khan belongs to the Rodent family.
After all, pussies, be they of the quadruped kind or the biped variety, have their followers. But we have yet to see anyone embrace a Chuha!
Really? So, you have not heard of the Hindu fascination of Rats huh? Have you not heard of the “Rat Temple” in Rajasthan?
http://www.rajasthantourpackages.net/rajasthan-attractions/rat-temple.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karni_Mata
http://www.wolfstad.com/2006/04/the-rat-temple-of-rajasthan/
By the way Mouse is the official carrier of Lord Ganesh.
You know so little about your culture? 😉
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Disgusting excerpt (below) from your first link!
Rat leftovers as Prasad?
Yeeks, these sick Hindu whackos make the other religious adherents look almost sane!
Cow, Snake, Rat, Bird, Tortoise…..Is there no animal that the Hindu chutiyas don’t worship?
Definitely, there must be a moronic Hindu sect somewhere worshiping Hippopotamus, Giraffe, Donkeys, Pigs and Head Lice too.
I had replied to the above comment a while ago… did it go to the spam folder? or was it too inappropriate to post? 😉
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Yeah, the WordPress software turned pussy at the sight of the word pussy. 😉
Just unspammed and approved it!
I rented Tower Heist from RedBox over the weekend. It was so-so… Eddie Murphy goes missing towards the end and I felt it was a little short on the comedy quotient. Not boring nevertheless.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Keep $2 ready….Descendants (George Clooney) & Iron Lady (Meryl Streep got the Oscar) coming to RedBox on April 10.