AppId is over the quota
Arthur Shaw (Alan Alda) has a mammoth Mao portrait by Andy Warhol on his wall, a red 1963 Ferrari in his living room and a fleet of people at his beck and call in the Tower.
He doesn’t just live in a luxury Central Park condo but in the penthouse below a rooftop pool with the design of a hundred-dollar bill on the bottom. Benjamin Franklin gazes up at him as he does laps in “Tower Heist.”
Shaw likes to play the regular-guy card with his aw-shucks reminder, “Deep down, I’m just an Astoria boy.” but deep down, he likely is a Wall Street swindler who stole $2 billion from his investors.
When the staff of the Tower, led by building manager Josh Kovaks (Ben Stiller), hears about the charges, they initially defend Shaw. but when they realize he may be a crook who also lost their pension money and the savings of a longtime employee, Josh and a handful of others plot a “Tower Heist.”
After all, an FBI agent (Tea Leoni) had drunkenly suggested: “Grab some pitchforks and a couple of guys and storm the castle. He’ll never see it coming.”
The action comedy “Tower Heist” is wish fulfillment for blue- or white-collar victims of Bernie Madoff and other cheats or bumblers who lost their clients’ money. They’re the little people who push cleaning carts and hail taxis and keep track of the details of rich residents’ lives.
In addition to Josh, the gang includes a petty crook (Eddie Murphy); a concierge (Casey Affleck); a former Merrill Lynch employee (Matthew Broderick) who has hit bottom; and an elevator operator (Michael Pena).
Gabourey Sidibe from “Precious” shows a flair for comedy as a Jamaican maid, while veteran Judd Hirsch turns up as the boss of Josh and his co-workers.
“Tower Heist,” directed by Brett Ratner and written by Ted Griffin and Jeff Nathanson, features mr. Alda in the sort of oily role usually played by Jeremy Irons. (See “Margin call.”) but mr. Alda wears the friendly facade well and allows us to see the warmth slowly give way to cavalier, class warfare chilliness.
There are reasons why heist movies, if they pit the little guy against a corrupt business, bank or government, can be irresistible. you, too, will want to wipe that smirk off the billionaire’s face and may relate to the longtime worker whose retirement dreams go poof.
“Tower Heist” makes terrific use of New York and an annual tradition that plays a key role but an elaborate centerpiece stunt seems to defy the laws of physics (or weight-bearing loads).
While mr. Murphy provides a comic spark, he also skirts the PG-13 rating at times in an unnecessary way. the movie can be funny but it isn’t as sophisticated or intricately plotted as “Ocean’s Eleven” and its sequels.
Once again, it reminds us the rich are different from you and me and, when they live in the penthouse, they have a lot farther to fall.
First published on November 4, 2011 at 12:00 am
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