Summer of Netflix Day 63 - Life of Crime

Joel: There’s nothing really wrong with this movie. Everybody does a fine job, it doesn’t feel like the movie takes too long, it’s an interesting enough plot. So I don’t really have anything to complain about. At the same time, nobody really stands out as a shining example in this movie, and it becomes clear very quickly how the movie’s going to end pretty early on, so for the most part, were just going through the motions to get to that obvious ending (in final moments of the movie are given away in the tagline of the movie. This isn’t a case of the trailer giving away too much, literally the movie poster gives away too much) and while it’s the ending that fits the rest of the movie and makes the most sense, I do wish the twists and turns of the movie had felt more like twists and turns. As far as inoffensive movies go, this one shines as a pretty clear example. If you’re a particular fan of Mos Def or Tim Robbins, it’s worth checking out since they both get pretty enjoyable roles. Really there’s just not a ton to say. The final recommendation of “Give it a shot, you won’t regret it.” and “Pass on this one, you’re not missing anything.” both seem equally valid for the movie.

Chris: I have to agree with Joel, here. It was an enjoyable cast that did a good job of keeping interested enough to not cut it off (and the fact that I’m contractually obligated to watch it for Summer of Netflix) but that’s about as far as I’ll go with it. It was an incredibly “meh” movie that benefitted from having a good cast with Mos Def as my one character that I enjoyed the most. I felt like the conclusion of the film felt a little ambiguous and it was weird how the 3 main characters were all on the same page at the end about kidnapping Isla Fischer’s character. I mean, nobody was going to ask Mos Def’s character about why Tim Robbins didn’t actually pay them money when he claimed he had? And what about how Jennifer Aniston’s character was suppose to be killed? Don’t you think Mos Def should’ve had some questions about that too? There were a lot of loose ends that never were tied.