Tower Heist (2011)

Tower Heist is an ensemble comedy action heist film which has been compared to the Ocean's film, however this film isn't near those films as a whole. Overall Tower Heist isn't much of a comedy as it relies on stale and unfunny dialogue and a predictable plot. The cast is well cast but the characters come off as unlikable and wonder as to why we are rooting for them. Expected a lot more from this film and expected it to be funny. Ben Stiller plays his typical character, while Eddie Murphy plays another form of his typical fast talking loudmouth criminal type character. What doesn't work for this film is that it's very predictable and not as clever as it is thought to be. Also not much of a suspense of surprises, and in heist film that is a must, to keep audiences on their feet.There are some decent scenes of action with the heist going on towards the end at the parade scene. That was well done how they 'stole' the car from its owner, but overall Tower Heist just doesn't offer much that we have not scene. Recommend to watch the Oceans franchise instead, much more clever, slicker and with a better cast offering more laughs.

(60%) Very much a Brett Ratner movie which is both a good and a not so good thing. Good in that the guy does at least know the nuts and bolts of how to direct, and for a simple movie such as this non-fussy, yet solid direction is perfectly fine. Also the movie is fun and entertaining to watch even when there isn't really a whole lot going on. The not so good comes from the script needing a couple of extra re- writes to tighten it up a little because there are a couple of scenes that don't really have any pay-off (when the crew are on the roof after Eddie Murphy locks them out is in particular a sign that more work was needed), and just a few extra laughs would have made this a much stronger film overall. It's good to see Murphy in something decent, even if he his underused somewhat, but Stiller is such a strait man in this that he hardly registers as a comedic character at all. Overall an enjoyable little watch that has catch if you can all over it.

Anyone looking for well thought out crime and cool, confident characters should steer clear of this movie. The title obviously labels it as a crime movie, which it is, but its focus is much more on comedy. Going into it with no prior knowledge, one would think that it is similar to Ocean's Eleven considering the crime element and the star cast. The crime element is really more of a subplot of emotional tension between the protagonist Josh (Ben Stiller) and the antagonist swindler Shaw (Alan Ada). Josh's feelings toward Shaw go from friendship to distrust to complete averseness as he gains more information about Shaw's escape/abduction. There are a lot of minor roles in this movie since the heist is being made for the benefit of the apartment's staff. Each of their parts develop slightly and you have a good sense of every one of them by the end. Like most crime movies, there is a stronger motive than money to the robbery. It is a motive of revenge against Shaw for scamming all of the workers and for Josh to right the wrong he made in giving Shaw their money in the first place. The main roles, played by Stiller, Casey Affleck, Mathew Brodrick, and Micheal Pena are members of the apartment staff. Ben Stiller's character Josh is the manager of the Tower, and we see much of his usual style of humor (personally I felt like he did better with this than in Night at the Museam). Casey Affleck's part of Charlie is Josh's brother-in-law and another member of the staff who becomes a double turncoat. He is very nervous throughout and his comedy and role are very different from in the Ocean's trilogy. Mathew Brodrick plays a Wall Street man whose home and family are being figuratively stolen from him by the bank (this predicament brings in a few laughs). His character is more similar to his role in the Cable Guy than in Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Michael Pena plays the new elevator operator, who starts off as rather stiff with his new job, but gradually turns into a slightly irreverent and natural crook. None of the four have any idea of how to steal so much as a box of crackers, so they employ Josh's recently jailed friend Slide, played by Eddie Murphy. Although he shows up high on the cast list, he doesn't actually become a big part until more than halfway through. Some of the best scenes come when Slide tries to teach the others how to be criminals, though some of the typical Murphy language gets a little excessive at times. The other three main roles come from the Jamaican maid and safe-cracker, and the FBI agent that kind of half assists Josh and his team, and finally the doorman Lester who becomes the main motivation for the heist. In terms of the comedy and crime balance, I would say it is primarily comedy, but there are some pretty good twists of criminal nature near the end. Only in the climax are both elements really combined. For most of the movie, the progression of the robbery and the humorous situations are kept separate. The high-stakes heist is not done very professionally, but is nonetheless plausible. Most of the comedy is verbal, but there is some situational humor like the scene at the mall when Slide meets the others. If you liked The Other Guys, this is a good fit for you. Watch it for a good laugh, but not with a group that's going to chat away the whole time since there are some serious moments where you need to pay attention. Overall Rating: 8.4/10.

Since the first Shrek movie, Eddie Murphy seemed to have been doing his best to prove to everyone that his best movies are now where he is heard and not seen. However here he gives a performance as good as some of his earlier work.As for the rest if the cast, although a straight man, Casey Affleck shows a talent for comedy rarely seen in his filmography, Tea Leoni is hot rather than a hard nosed, Matthew Broderick puts in his best performance for years and Alan Alda is always a delight to watch! However Ben Stiller is once again doing his usual nice guy Ben Stiller routine. It's more than a bit tiresome and boring now, as (with the exception of Dodgeball and Zoolander) he is always playing the same role. There are a few loose ends at the end of the movie, but overall it was an enjoyable ninety minutes.