Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice
- 3 minutes ago
- 3 min read
A fun throwback to the adult action comedies of the 80's, MIKE & NICK & NICK & ALICE delivers a double helping of Vince Vaughn in his best role(s) in years.
It takes a bit to get going, but once the intricate pieces start to fall into place, so does the fun.
Over the opening credits, we meet a screwball scientist named Symon, played by Ben Schwartz (Sonic the Hedgehog). We can't quite tell what he's working on, but I do know he's singing an entire Billy Joel song from a long forgotten Disney movie called "Oliver & Company", not the last fascinating, eclectic song choice to be heard here.
Disaster strikes the lab. Meanwhile, mob enforcer Quick Draw Mike (James Marsden) is setting up a meeting with his secret love Alice (Eiza Gonzalez from "Baby Driver") who just happens to be married to his best friend and fellow mobster, Nick, played with hilarious intensity by Vaughn.
It's a fun core trio that will soon become a quartet.
Meanwhile, lead underworld figure Sosa (Keith David from "The Thing" having an enormous amount of fun) is celebrating his adopted son's release from prison after 6 years. His son, Jimmy Boy, is surely one of the dumbest mobsters in film history. One of my favorite laugh out loud moments is when Sosa gives his boy a gold plated shotgun with the initials JB and his son says, "JB, what does that stand for?", David's reactions throughout are classic. Jimmy Tatro (Modern Family) is a comic standout with more testosterone than brains (or virility).
As the first of four parties kicks off, Sosa announces that the celebration will continue to dawn, but that he also knows that among them is the rat that sent Jimmy Boy to prison. Sosa has discovered that the snitch is Mike, hiring Nick to kill his best friend.
That's the set up. That would be enough, but what happens when another Nick from the future shows up, determined to change history?
It's the find of callback that happened often in 80's films, an enormous plot device that you were just asked to roll with and enjoy the ride, Marty McFly style. If you can do that (and why wouldn't you?) this just gets funnier and funnier.
One Vince Vaughn is a highlight in any film, but you get double the fun here as a slightly wiser Nick arrives to save their friend Mike from his fate.
I laughed a lot as the film morphs into a classic buddy comedy times two, deftly tossing in a gallery of hilarious but dangerous bad guys that reminded me of the first two Beverly Hills Cop films, a rare comedy/action equation.
In a real stroke of comic genius, all of the mobsters are aptly named by their biggest character trait.
Arturo Castro (Tron:Ares, Road House) always knows the worst thing to say at the worst moment, hence his name Dumbass Tony. He lives up to it for big laughs.
Lewis Tan (Mortal Kombat) is Roid Rage Ryan, ripped with muscles and a hair trigger.
There are a couple of fun surprises in store around The Barron, a cannibal hitman also on the trail of Mike.
I am not familiar with BenDavid Grabinski, the writer/director, but after a bit of an unsure start, he finds definite footing for the last 3/4 of the film, delivering some classic comic set pieces. My favorite was the scene in the convenience store with a very stoned clerk witnessing Mike and Nick trying to kidnap...Nick. The comic and action timing is flawless.
Grabinski stages a mega-finale showdown with enough firepower to jaw drop John Woo. It's a thrilling, crazy finale on a massive and well staged scale. Vaughn and Marsden (and Vaughn!) deliver a roaring ending followed by an unexpected conclusion that I really enjoyed.
Film buffs will also enjoy some funny references to "Ghost" and "Big Trouble in Little China".
Packed with big laughs, twisted turns & surprises & stockpiles of ammunition, MIKE & NICK & NICK & ALICE would have been a big hit on the big screen this weekend. Hulu's dropping it directly to your living room instead.
We're still laughing the next morning, which earns it an appreciative B.
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