Baby Driver introduces us to prodigious getaway driver Baby (Ansel Elgort) who because of a traumatic past never stops listening to music and doesn’t say much. Because of a past joyride, Baby is stuck working for crime boss Doc (Kevin Spacey) in order to pay off a debt. After meeting Debora (Lily James) and falling in love, Baby is ready to leave the life of crime and Atlanta but a botched job threatens his plan.
Baby Driver is a fun, stylish action comedy film that continues the unique filmmaking style director Edgar Wright has exhibited throughout his career. Wright’s films have often utilized music to an amazing degree and Baby Driver takes this aspect of his style to the next level through a character that is constantly having it play directly into his ears. The tracks chosen always fit the scene being played and provide the score while also being organic due to Baby’s headphones, often changing perspective based on whether they are in or out of Baby’s ears. The combination of the cool style, great music, and good action sequences make the film a fun watch that pulls in the viewer and provides a great movie watching experience. While I love movies with deep subtext that make me think, films like Edgar Wright’s serve as a great reminder that just sitting down and being entertained and having fun while watching some cool shit on scree will always have its place in cinema and why people fall in love with movies in the first place. The witty, hilarious dialogue balanced with a good, innovative story make for a great viewing experience and propel Baby Driver to incredible heights.
The film is filled with good performances from the cast but Jamie Foxx’s turn as Batz is the best of the bunch by a comfortable margin. Foxx is electric and commands the screen, reminding you of why he’s one of two Oscar winners in the film and what he’s capable of doing with the right script and character. His performance blends comedy, intensity, and drama and is one of the three best I’ve seen on the year as of the time of this writing. It may be worth watching the film eventually just so that you can see him perform. John Hamm does well in his supporting role as Buddy, another bank robber and a slight departure from what we’ve come to expect from him. Kevin Spacey does well but doesn’t really stand out. I’m wondering if his time as Frank Underwood is starting to seep into the rest of his work. He doesn’t have the accent here but the cold calculation is the same and not really a different take from an actor that is one of the best of his generation. Aside from the action sequences and cool style of the movie, what drives (no pun intended) Baby Driver is the love affair between Baby and Debora and Ensort and James really make that part of it work. Their interest in each other and the growth of the love is believable and makes the viewer invest in where they’re going. The chemistry is great and you find yourself rooting for the two to get away and start a new life. Even Baby’s attachment to music revolves around his love for his musician mother. Connecting with music is part of how Baby stays connected to her and her memory, which is displayed in the film through the song “Easy” by The Commodores.
Baby Driver is so fun to watch and a breath of fresh air for the multiplex. The stylishness presented by Edgar Wright is pretty much unparalleled in cinema today, really emanating cool and providing a unique experience. The film is held back from unquestioned greatness and maybe a #1 spot for 2017 for me due to its bland ending. It was a plain happy ever after progressed by five years in a two-minute montage that felt a little too neat and convenient for me. I’ve been thinking about how I would’ve ended it and can’t come up with anything so maybe it wasn’t that bad after all; easy to criticize but hard to come up with a solution, right? The final action confrontation also dragged on for way too long and shortening it could have shaved five minutes off of the run time and maybe allowed for more time to tighten up the ending (although the character’s refusal to die, his real name, and the red light on his face during the scene are a nice touch and callbacks to earlier dialogue). Despite the slight quibble with the ending, Baby Driver is absolutely worthy of the price of admission and has cemented Edgar Wright as one of my favorite directors of the moment. His innovative filmmaking style always hits the mark and stands out amongst everything else Hollywood has to offer.
Image: Sony Pictures
