Wow.
That is one of the only words that I uttered all the way home from the theater after seeing Baby Driver tonight. The other two words were swear words that one typically uses to express absolute amazement.
That is what I felt during and after viewing Baby Driver.
Absolute amazement.
When I first saw the trailer for a movie titled Baby Driver I laughed at how absurd the name was. I was convinced it would be a straight to video flop. I was so wrong.
Before I go any further, the movie might not be for everyone. It is violent, includes a significant amount of profanity, and asks the audience to take a pretty big leap in the area of suspension of disbelief as it relates to romantic relationships. This movie is a modern day fairytale about an anti-hero. Some people might not want to root for an anti-hero. I did.
This movie reminded me quite a bit of another film about an unlikely love at first sight story involving an anti-hero... Quentin Tarantino's True Romance.
I look back and am amazed that my thoughts were so clear and true, that five words went through my mind endlessly, repeating themselves like a broken record: Baby Driver is so cool, Baby Driver is so cool, Baby Driver is so cool.
Although I love all of Tarantino's films prior to Inglorious Basterds, True Romance may be my favorite. If you liked True Romance I think you will love Baby Driver.
My wife and I are both film buffs. As a result, I have seen a ton of movies. It is nearly impossible for a movie to do something I haven't seen before. Christopher Nolan is one of the few directors who has pulled this off more than once. He did it by telling a story in reverse with Memento and then again with the special effects and use of the 'dream within a dream" idea in Inception. Earlier this year, Dr. Strange included an amazing action sequence with some of the people moving forward in time while others were moving backwards. ... and The Lego Batman Movie managed to include a reference to Gymkata in the film (I've definitely never seen that before).
Although I didn't necessarily see anything new in Baby Driver... I definitely heard it. I have never experienced the use of sound and music in a film the way Baby Driver utilized both. It was simply stunning. For at least 90% of the movie, I sat with my mouth agape. I was in awe of what writer/director Edgar Wright had managed to do. About one hour into the movie, I noticed I needed to use the restroom... but I couldn't leave. I didn't want to miss one second of this unique experience.
Somehow Wright managed to make sound and music the star of this movie. But it is not a musical. It is not a music video. It is so much more. I honestly do not think I can do his art justice with the written word. You must experience this film in order to appreciate it.
But I will try to give a tiny taste of what to expect (I don't want to spoil too much of the fun). It seems like no sound in the movie is accidental. The opening and closing of car doors, the sound of elevator bells and alarms, and the noise of footsteps all serve a purpose. During much of the movie, those sounds are all on beat with the music playing in the background. It was incredible!
The music isn't chosen to be a commercial for your local top 40 station. Some of it is nostalgic (The Commodore's "Easy Like Sunday Morning"). Some is quite obscure (A Young MC song not named "Bust a Move"). The songs do not appear to be chosen to sell a soundtrack. They are chosen to be part of the new art form that this movie has created.
So I loved a movie that prominently features a Lionel Richie (with the Commodores) song... I never thought I'd ever write that sentence.
I have always enjoyed Edward Wright's collaborations with Simon Pegg including Shaun of the Dead (2004), Hot Fuzz (2007), and The World's End (2013). But this movie was nothing like those films. Even though I love those movies, I would have never imaged that writer and director could pull off something so revolutionary. But he did.
As far as the plot is concerned, it was good. There was nothing too unique there... but I don't think I could handle any more uniqueness. Baby Driver is about a young getaway driver's "last job". He meets a girl and wants to run away with her and leave his criminal life behind. There are complications... and lots of car chases.
Many people see this and their blood starts pumping. I yawn.
I hate car chases.
I find them repetitive and boring. I think there are only three car chases that I actually like: Those in The French Connection, Terminator 2, and The Bourne Identity. When Jason Bourne pulled out a map during the car chase I literally screamed with joy in the theater. Finally! An answer to the question, "How do they know where they are going?" With a name like Baby Driver I was planning on compliantly sitting through many standard car chases.
But I was wrong. The use of sound and music during the chase sequences even made those better. For the first time, I was never bored during a movie with multiple chase scenes. In addition to the novel use of sound, there were some driving stunts I have never seen before. I respect creativity. Couple that with the music and I can safely say this is my favorite "car chase movie" of all time.
Although it's not the same without the music, it still looks cool.
There is plenty of action in this movie. When there isn't action there is clever dialogue delivered by some pretty impressive actors including Jamie Foxx, Kevin Spacey, Jonn Hamm, and Flea from The Red Hot Chilli Peppers (yes he is in it briefly). The romantic leads played by Ansel Elgort and Lily James have great chemistry and make you believe that two people who just met would really go through the ridiculous ordeal they do.
This movie is also filled with emotion. I loved the relationship between Baby and his foster father. The reason for Baby's obsession with music is explained gradually and well. Then there is the love story... and it works.
I actually bought that these two fell in love at first sight.
There are some surprising moments of humor as well... but I don't want to spoil those.
Because I respect originality and love movies about anti-heroes so much, I could have immediately watched it a second time. In fact, I almost did. I didn't want to leave my seat as the credits rolled. I wanted more. Unfortunately I saw a late show and couldn't last for another two hours. But it was not out of lack of desire.
One last thing. There are many hidden "Easter eggs" in the movie. Although I caught as many as I could, I know I missed some. I will need to see this movie again ASAP so I can catch more of them.
Geeky Guy's Movie Guide
Number of times I fell asleep: 0
Number of eye rolls: 0
Number of face palms: 0
Number of times I went to the bathroom even though I really needed to go: 0 (It was worth holding it.)
Number of times I checked steemit: 0
Number of times I said "That's ridiculous": 0
Full price/Matinee/Rental/Free/Not worth the time: I wish I could have paid MORE. If you can see this in a Dolby theater, you absolutely should. I can't even imagine how it sounded in there. Unfortunately, I could not because Spider-Man was playing in the Dolby theater.
When will I see it again?: ASAP