In Hollywood lingo, “A poor man [fill in the blank]” is a term used to refer to a lesser version of an established brand noun. For example, with no disrespect meant, for years Joan Collins had the distinction of being “the poor Elizabeth Taylor” or (initially) the “Airwolf” TV series being the “Blue Thunder” of the “poor people” in the 1980s. Following the death of actor/comedian Bernie Mac, George Clooney was reported as saying that the Ocean film series was made because couldn’t see them getting hold of the late actor. As that film series was the most successful in the heist genre, it stands to reason that there would be a big void left… one that “Tower Heist” tries to fill like a low rent (ironic given the setting of the story) version.
Instead of Clooney’s charismatic and charming Danny Ocean, we get Ben Stiller as Josh Kovacs, the general manager of “The Tower,” a high-rise condominium for New York’s super-rich, who makes the mistake of investing the pensions of his employees. with Wall Street stockbroker and owner of The Tower penthouse, Arthur Shaw (charmingly played by Alan Alda), who loses everything in a Ponzi scheme. However, through the auspices of FBI agent Claire Denham (Tea Leoni), Kovacs discovers that Shaw is in possession of $20 million in the attic and, with the help of disgraced Wall Street stockbroker Mr. Fitzhugh (Matthew Broderick), Kovac’s bumbling janitor Charlie Gibbs (Casey Affleck), newly hired bellboy Enrique Dev’reaux (Michael Pena), and sassy Odessa (Gabourey Sibide) enlist the help of petty thief Slide (Eddie Murphy, who also served as one of the film’s producers) in exchange for petty theft.
Unfortunately, if the plot had more holes than it already does, the movie would fall under its own weight. But such things are par for the course for director Brett Ratner, he of the Rush Hour film series, where the laws of physics and geometry (not to mention common sense and credulity) are continually violated; increasing in both transgression and enormity as the film progresses. Ratner’s strengths, however, lie in story progression, visuals, and performances, and the film moves forward with aplomb. Even the quiet, somber moments (one in particular involving Lester the doorman (Stephen Henderson), who embodies the fears of those nearing retirement) hold your interest and drive events forward. The Tower (which is “Trump Tower” in New York) is full of flashy glitz, a world where the “hired help,” despite working within its bounds, are outsiders. The film makes good use of the juxtaposition between the “haves” and the “have-nots”, harnessing the collective anger embodied by the current “Occupy” movement to justify the shoplifting the protagonists engage in. All the best installments in the heist genre have the audience rooting for the leads, and in this case “Tower Heist” succeeds.
To be honest, Ben Stiller hasn’t been among my favorite artists; his ersatz his “adorable/nerdy loser/impotent rage” his welcome has long run out of him. However, Stiller has matured and branched out of that acting safety net in recent years. While Kovacs still maintains a bit of Stiller’s trademark “schlub” quality (it’s more implied than anything else), Stiller infuses Kovacs with a restrained manic ability that isn’t impotent. The would-be thieves resemble Robin Hood, but in reality Kovacs is a gentleman willingly doing whatever it takes to right a huge wrong; and how far he will go is amazing at the end of the movie. He may not have the rascally poise of Danny Ocean, but both characters share a sense of righteous indignation and, more here than in any film he’s made before, Stiller earnestly delivers.
Casey Affleck brings street cred to “Ocean’s Eleven” but few laughs in his role as a subpar but no-nonsense employee trying to hang on to a precarious job, but crystallizes the fears many American workers have in this current economic client. Michael Pena channels the inner John Leguizamo in him in his role as bellboy. Tea Leoni does a good job as FBI Agent Denham, who develops a grudging respect and attraction to Kovacs. Unfortunately, that role is criminally underutilized. Her arc reaches a certain point, then stops abruptly as if the writers didn’t know what to make of it once the main story had run its course. There was so much that could have been done here and the proverbial ball was dropped. It’s too bad, because Leoni and Stiller had a nice chemistry that could have been developed further and still yield a nice payoff despite how the movie concludes. Anyone born in the ’80s may have trouble believing this, but Alan Alda was once considered one of the top sex symbols of the ’70s, and this movie gives a glimpse of why. His Arthur Shaw is a charismatic robber baron, oozing an easy, patronizing, flattering charm that grips even in the face of irrefutable guilt. The film opens with an online chess game between Kovacs and Shaw (implying a further relationship between the two outside of The Tower realm) and the film turns into a couples strategy game. Stiller and Alda have a relaxed chemistry between them that entails years of little camaraderie. When the extent of Shaw’s malfeasance becomes clear, the betrayal Kovacs feels is palpable…an effect that couldn’t be achieved without such chemistry. Shaw is the worst kind of villain: the common man. Mr. Fitzhugh will likely never be given a given name, as Matthew Broderick simply transplants his version of Leo Bloom from “The Producers” into this character, however Broderick doesn’t phone in performance here, downplaying the comparison between the two characters.
However, two performances carry this film, elevating it beyond mediocre. As Odessa, the safe-cracking Jamaican maid in desperate need of a work visa, Sibide brings a welcome unabashed female-enhancer, being in some ways even more self-possessed and capable than the men. However, this movie is Eddie Murphy’s forum; the manifesto statement of him heralding a return to the angry edginess that catapulted him to stardom in the ’80s. “Slide” is more an angrier Reggie Hammond than Axel Foley, and at particular moments in the film in a haunting way. But Murphy’s kindest, suave show moments, most specifically the totally improvised safe-cracking scene he shares with Sibide and a meeting with the building manager (played by the ever-reliable Judd Hirsch in what amounts to a cameo). extended), and its the saving grace for this character. Whether Murphy will uphold his mission statement beyond this movie is neither here nor there. He brings the biggest laughs in the movie, and when he’s absent, the energy is decidedly muted. However, this mixture of dramatic and comedic talent works in the film’s favor. They’re so engaging that they distract from the aforementioned plot holes and gimmicks.
“Tower Heist” isn’t the best representation of its genre, and logic isn’t its strong point, but it’s timely, very enjoyable, and imaginatively expanding a premise without going overboard. At the end of the day, I didn’t feel like my wallet money was stolen.
