Reviewing Stand Up Guys is not easy. I am genuinely glad I watched it, and I recommend it, but that's because I was able to ignore the several hackneyed and sophomoric slapstick scenes in the script. I loved reading Roger Ebert's very strong review (3.5/4) of this movie, because he highlighted all the things I also liked, but he basically passed over the drawbacks. I can't be so glib about it, they do affect my final rating as they did not for him, but I agree that's worth watching. Anyway, what really works in this movie are the premise, more compelling as a drama than a comedy, and all the quiet moments when Pacino and Walken just shine. What also works is that it's set in an anonymized city - it could be anywhere in North America, which means that we are not distracted by local details. Another good structural move, albeit unrealistic, was to have it play out in an almost abandoned, seemingly unpopulated city. Again, this technique serves to put all the focus on the interactions between Pacino and Walken. Overall, thumbs down for the script, a neutral on the direction, and thumbs up for the acting and character development.
Review of Stand Up Guys
