Baby Driver

As I sat by myself singing random punk rock tunes and thinking of more boring tales to share with the public at a recent happy hour, I couldn’t help but wonder how many of my work friends thought to themselves, "Who invited the Black Hodor out tonight?" It’s sad but no matter how much I try to improve my social skills, I inevitably drift off into my own world of music and film while the rest of the universe parties in their high rise condos and has unprotected sex with the cute newbie from the office. Maybe this is why I felt such a strong connection with the lead character of the movie Baby Driver; we’re both so detached from our surroundings that the only way we can feel somewhat normal is to constantly listen to other people’s pain and joy put to the backdrop of distorted guitar.

Now if you don’t know much about the film, Baby is the product of the uber talented writer/director Edgar Wright. He is the same man who brought us Shaun of the Dead, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, and for all intents and purposes, Antman, that is until the Marvel studios brought someone else to help it fall more in line with their typical boring formula. He has this innate ability to somehow come up with the perfect balance of comedy, action, and sometimes even horror, depending upon the movie. You never leave his films only feeling one type of emotion and there’s definitely something to be said for that as many have tried and failed at replicating this formula; just look at Colin Trevorrow. Trevorrow caught lightening in a bottle with Safety Not Guaranteed but has failed miserably ever since to try and recapture that magic; point and case being his latest disaster in The Book of Henry. Bet those Star Wars nerds can’t wait to see what crap he spits out for Episode IX.

Anyway, while there isn’t any horror in Baby Driver, there’s certainly plenty of action, comedy, and cool music in it. Everyone is raving over the soundtrack, and while I don’t think it’s anywhere near as cool as The Crow or the Pulp Fiction soundtracks were, I must admit that I found myself rocking out during more than one car chase scene. And I think that this helps make up for the lack of cool cars in the movie.

I have heard more than one person complain about that but if you want to see car nerds drive around in fast cars, go see one of the 100 Fast and the Furious movies that are out right now. This film is about a car driving savant who can do badass things behind the wheel of any car that’s thrown his way, and that’s why this movie stands out from its counterparts. Wright is on record as saying that he wanted to create the perfect ode to 90’s action films; movies like Point Break, Heat, and even though he didn’t specifically call this one out, I’ll say True Romance as well. And I have to say that he definitely succeeded in doing just that. Every car chasing scene is stellar as you can’t help but be glued to the screen as Ansel Elgort shifts and drifts his way through random obstacles on the highway while running from the cops in a car that’s full of loot.

Now so far, outside of the use of normal cars for the getaway scenes, a movie about a good driver sounds just like any other B movie that’s been released on Cinemax within the past 20 years, but what else makes this movie stand out is the supporting cast of criminals. People think that Eiza Gonzalez was only in the film to be eye candy but she’s really there to help trigger the inner demon of her good boy turned bad, Jon Hamm. I swear that he gets cooler with age. You think he’s a sensible thief with good looks but the second Eiza gets in his head, he instantly turns caveman and wants to kill everything in his path. And Jamie Foxx nearly steals every scene he’s in as it seems as though he’s channeling only the evil parts of his character Muthafucker Jones from the movie Horrible Bosses. I know that sounds awful but trust me when I say it’s not.

This film gets pretty dark at times and if you know anything about me and my love for 80’s goth music, that falls right into my wheelhouse. In the end, Baby Driver is funny, thrilling, and a little edgy; and I don’t think you can truly appreciate it with only one viewing. So do yourself a favor, go see it, marinate on it for a bit, and then go see it again before coming to a final judgement. But just know going in that I give it a rating of very FRESH!