Review: ‘Baby Driver’ Is Nothing Short Of A Summer Movie Masterpiece
There are two directors I will go see a film for on day one: Christopher Nolan and Edgar Wright. To me, they have not made a bad movie. When it comes to Edgar Wright, I believe he is one of the best directors of all time. He could take a script for a garbage film that was written for the Syfy channel and turn it into a classic. He’s really that good.
In a cinematic landscape where a comedy is really just the director using establishing shots with loud music followed by actors in boring environments doing improv, Wright changes the game. Every scene is meticulously crafted to get a laugh or a response from the audience. That’s why he’s so good: He mixes the audio and visual aspects equally to get you the best movie-going experience.
His latest, Baby Driver, is a fantastic example of using the audio and visual elements to tell a story that’s fairly simple.
Premise: A young and talented getaway driver named Baby relies on the personal beat of his preferred soundtrack to be the best in the world of crime, as music heightens his focus and reflexes to extreme levels. A car accident as a child killed both his parents, and left him with permanent tinnitus, which he blocks out using music. He is preferred as a driver by Doc, a mastermind organizer of bank robberies and other high-earning heists.
Baby Driver is a film set to music. It’s not just a bunch of action scenes with a soundtrack of songs, no, it’s bigger than that. The music is intertwined with what is going on in the scene. A tire screeches, a gunshot goes off… it all syncs up with the music that is playing in Baby’s ear. Not only is that music amazing to see matched up with what’s going on, it’s also a plot point. The music fuels his driving and skills like spinach fuels Popeye’s strength and determination. The more intense things get, the more the music allows him to overcome obstacles.
Everyone in the film is firing on all cylinders. Elgort steals the show among heavyweights like Spacey, Fox, and Hamm. I wasn’t really sure if Ansel Elgort was that guy from The Kingsmen, which he wasn’t, but I sure as hell know who he is now. This doesn’t take away from the rest of the cast. The film displays all of their talents to the point where you really want to go back and see their past work because of this film.
Lily James, who was in the epic War and Peace mini-series as well as Cinderella, shines in a performance as Baby’s love interest. Their love story can be equated to many real-life love stories in that it comes out of nowhere to happen. I read one of the few bad reviews for this film that says how they meet and fall in love was too simple, and way too fast. That is preposterous, because most love spurs out of something as simple as the beginning of a conversation through Facebook, talking at a gym, or meeting at a diner because you overheard a conversation. Love is beautiful in its simplicity to bloom in any circumstance.
What stands out in this film is the stunt work. CGI is fun, but it can be overused. Baby Driver uses practical effects in the film. Do you remember seeing all of those car stunts in the trailer and thinking that they were a little too good? Yeah, so did I, then I saw the film. They’re all done by some pretty amazing drivers. I have trouble parallel parking, but that stunt where the car does a 180-degree turn (see above Gif) is all kinds of wonderful.
Why was it so wonderful? It was all real. If you think people weren’t laughing and clapping at the spectacle at my theater, you’d be dead wrong. That’s why practical effects and stunts are great — they elicit excitement from the audience that you can’t get after seeing all the crap in the Fast and Furious franchise.
When the film isn’t action-packed, it’s funny. If it’s not funny, it’s tense and never lets up. This isn’t a film to pre-drink at the bar before going. In fact, I’d recommend really trying to not leave to go to the restroom at all. Missing even a little bit is missing out on a lot. There are so many fantastic scenes in this movie that you’ll lose count, which will make you want to see it again and again. It’s one of a very few times where I wanted to buy another ticket to see it.
I cannot recommend a movie any more than I could recommend Baby Driver. If there was a movie that could thrive on word-of-mouth, it would be this one. The hype is real, just make sure not to leave the theater thinking you can drive like that. I thought I knew Kung Fu when I left The Matrix, but I just ended up looking stupid doing kicks in the parking lot.
Rating: 10/10
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Jeff Sorensen is an author, writer and occasional comedian living in Detroit, Michigan. You can look for more of his work on The Huffington Post, UPROXX, BGR and by just looking up his name.
Contact: jeff@socialunderground.com