Reviewed by Colin Jacobson (July 25, 2024)
Best known as a TV actor, Zach Braff made his debut as a feature director via 2004’s cult hit Garden State. With 2017’s Going in Style, we get Braff’s third effort as a big-screen filmmaker.
Willie Davis (Morgan Freeman), Joe Harding (Michael Caine) and Al Garner (Alan Arkin) are all retired former co-workers who pal around together. They enjoy this lifestyle until a corporate raid eradicates their pensions and leaves them financially high and dry.
Now without the funds to get by, Joe comes up with an improbable plan: the three elderly men will rob the bank that caused the merger that eliminated their pensions. With no experience in the criminal world, Willie, Joe and Al attempt to make this crazy scheme work.
This 2017 film acts as a remake of a 1979 flick with the same title. That one featured George Burns as Joe, Art Carney as Al and Lee Strasburg as Willie.
While not a smash, the 1979 Going became a moderate hit, as it landed in 26th place for that year’s releases. That looks very good compared to the 61st place the 2017 edition ranked in the US box office.
That said, no expected a comedy that starred three elderly actors to turn into a smash. Besides, the 2017 Going only cost $25 million, so with an $85 million worldwide gross, it turned a decent profit.
I saw the 1979 Going as a 12-year-old and enjoyed it, though I doubt I’ve seen it since my youth. Of course, I come at a movie about old folks much differently at 57 than I did at 12, which makes me substantially closer to the 2017 flick’s target audience.
I should check out the 1979 version again and see how it holds up and compares to the newer one. On its own merits, though, the 2017 Going seems pedestrian.
The film portrays the casual indignities related to how society treats the elderly. These points seem valid, as we can the patronizing ways many deal with older folks.
However, in a clear case of “having cake/eating it too”, Going also pokes fun at the film’s octogenarians for their age-related domains. These moments feel trite and without cleverness.
Indeed, much of Going lacks creativity. It follows a fairly predictable path and does so without real freshness.
Since I barely remember the 1979 film, I can’t blame the easily anticipated elements on familiarity with the story and characters. The issue stems from the fact that the 2017 Going just follows the same path as too many comedies about the elderly and doesn’t find its own road.
Of course, the robbery plot adds a curveball – in theory. However, that side of the tale also feels stagnant, as it churns the same kind of clichés we’ve seen in other films that deal with bumbling amateur crooks.
All that said, the 2017 Style keeps us with it due to the charms of its actors. With Freeman, Caine and Arkin as our leads, filmmakers would need to suffer from severe incompetence to make the end result unwatchable.
Indeed, those three could carry many an inferior script, and they do so here. Throw in a fine supporting cast that includes Ann-Margret, Matt Dillon, Christopher Lloyd and others and the actors manage to ensure the movie goes down painlessly.
I just wish I could say more for the 2017 Style than that. While it becomes a watchable affair, it lacks the spark and charm it needs to turn into anything more.