TOWER HEIST Movie Review
Finally there is going to be some laughter in theatres. “Tower Heist” turns out to be our favorite comedy for fall. Ben Stiller is Josh Kovacs a general manager for a very upscale New York City apartment who happens to be the go-to guy. When one of their most prestigious tenants Mr. Shaw comes under scrutiny for embezzlement and faces jail time, Josh is the first to not turn on him. As a loyal employee he believes innocent until proven guilty. However his dedication begins to dwindle when he realizes that his staff, who had invested their retirement funds with Arthur Shaw (Alan Alda), is left with nothing. Every penny has been lost. Josh’s rage overcomes him and he confronts Mr. Shaw and the outcome cost him his job.
When Josh finds himself out of work, along with fellow employees Charlie (Casey Aflleck) and Enrique Dev’Reaux (Michael Pena) he decides to take action. After befriending Special Agent Claire Denham (Tea Leoni) who is working the case he is privileged to top secret information. Information that leads him to a former tenant Mr. Fitzhugh (Matthew Broderick) a former Wall Street genius. Using his knowledge of money and the market he realizes that Shaw has somehow hidden the money he embezzled and is determined to take back what belongs to his staff.
He has the manpower now he just needs the street knowledge to which he contacts Slide (Eddie Murphy), a neighbor who he has a long history with but not quite as long as his rap sheet. With Slide on their side they have formed an unstoppable crew that plans on storming the castle and getting what is rightfully theirs, all $20 million off it. Of course with any heist things don’t go as planned and there are a few bumps in the road.
“Tower Heist” was a fun film that had me laughing. There was a few missed comical moments, but overall a solid adventurous comedy. Eddie Murphy has his comeback; his comical performance was superb and very enjoyable. Ben Stiller took the lead and was a force to reckon with. The charisma of Broderick, Casey, Pena and Stiller is what makes it a great film. You will be rooting for this underdog team. A farfetched heist with great performances that should not be missed.
