Baby Driver (2017)
Cast includes: Ansel Elgort (The Fault in Our Stars), Jamie Foxx (Django Unchained), Jon Hamm (Mad Men), Lily James (Downton Abbey), Kevin Spacey (House of Cards), CJ Jones (What Are You… Deaf?)
Writer/Director: Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, The World’s End)
Genre: Action | Crime | Music (112 minutes)
All four of them wear cheap, extra dark sunglasses. The baby-faced driver also wears ear buds. During the robbery, he’s out in the car jamming to the music and paying no attention to the drama inside the bank. (We can already tell this is going to be a great soundtrack!) With cops in hot pursuit, the red Subaru screeches out. Baby’s muscle music is the perfect soundtrack to a high-octane getaway… spins, reversals, wheelies are standard repertoire for the unflappable getaway driver. The next day, we see that Baby’s footwork is as agile as his driving… he virtually dances down the street to “Harlem Shuffle” going to get coffee. “Four black coffees.” “Name?” “Baby. B-A-B-Y. Baby.” The team is upstairs, where Doc, the organizer, divides up the money. Bats protests when Baby gets a full share… “He sounds retarded.” “He’s not retarded behind the wheel,” says Doc. “No blood on his hands,” says Bats. “The kid’s great at his job.” Bats can’t stand that the kid listens to music non-stop and never speaks… “Egyptian Reggae” this time. Baby skips the “post-heist revelry,” but before heading home, he meets Doc in the garage and gives up one packet of bills. “One more job and we’re square,” Doc says (backstory to come). “You call… I’m there,” says Baby.
At home, Baby hides money under the floorboards. Joe, the old guy he lives with (backstory to come), says in sign language, “You don’t belong in that world.” Baby’s real passion is music… all kinds of music… he has his own recording and mixing console, where he mixes music... sometimes with recorded conversations from earlier that day. Music brings back memories… some of them painful… like the car crash years ago that left him an orphan. At Bo’s Diner, Debora, the new waitress, comes in singing and they hit it off right away. “I’m a driver,” he tells her when she asks. “You drive around important people?” “Something like that.” “What’s your name?” “Baby.” “Like B-A-B-Y Baby? You’ll never run out of ‘Baby’ songs!” “Baby, I’m Yours.” But not so fast… It’s Doc on the phone… “My chickens just laid a very big egg.” “I’ll be there,” says Baby.
So, this is supposed to be Baby’s last job, but after it’s done, Doc has no intention of letting Baby go. “You’re my good luck charm,” Doc says. He has a different crew on every job… except for the driver… always Baby. “The moment you catch feelings is the moment you catch a bullet.” Baby Driver is a wild ride with plenty of high-speed effects, violence and a high body count. A few plot details may not seem fully baked, but the extraordinary soundtrack by Steven Price makes it a great ride anyway. Director Edgar Wright is a music geek, and this film is as much about the music as the story. The film has an excellent cast overall. The relative newcomer, Ansel Elgort, is excellent as Baby… totally believable as a sweet kid with a complex backstory and unusual skills. Contrary to his nature, he has gotten involved in dangerous work with nasty characters. At every turn, things get worse… “Nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide.” And no way to avoid tapping out the beats!
4 popped kernels
A sweet kid gets trapped into being a getaway driver for nasty criminals… music is his escape
Popcorn Profile
Rated: R (Language, Violence, Crime)
Audience: Young Adults
Gender Style: Macho
Distribution: Mainstream Wide Release
Mood: Upbeat
Tempo: Pure Adrenalin Rush
Visual Style: Computer Effects
Nutshell: Getaway driver
Language: Irreverent
Social Significance: Pure Entertainment
