Logan Lucky

Starring: Channing Tatum, Daniel Craig, Adam Driver, Riley Keough, Katie Holmes, Farrah Mackenzie, Seth MacFarlane, Jack Quaid, Brian Gleeson, Katherine Waterston, Dwight Yoakum, Sebastian Stan, LeAnn Rimes, Hilary Swank
Directed by: Steven Soderbergh
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy, Drama
2017

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Two brothers (Channing Tatum, Adam Driver) attempt to pull off a daring robbery during a NASCAR race.

Review:

Tim: Steven Soderbergh directed a movie about a brilliant heist that takes place during a NASCAR race. He obviously set out to make an extremely cool movie- and he accomplishes that. The movie is really cool, it's really fun, and the heist is involved, complicated, and impressive. The director of Ocean's Eleven was the perfect choice for this- it does feel like a redneck version of that film. And yet, while I was watching it and felt entertained, there was something that bothered me. I didn't know what it was until the film ended, but it greatly decreased my enthusiasm about the movie. In the end, I'd call this a decent film- a worthwhile attempt, but one that falls short.

The one major issue I had with this film is that I just don't believe those involved could have planned nor even got close to pulling this off. Danny Ocean, I get it. I believe he's capable of a crazy heist like that. What is it about the Logans that made Soderbergh think there'd even be a shred of credibility that they have the brains or experience to pull off such an insane heist? Because that's the whole point of the movie- they plan this totally crazy plot that involves breaking people out of jail, then breaking them back, controlling dozens of variables, making moves with precision timing. And the main architect of all this recently got laid off from his construction job. I don't know, I just struggled the entire film believing any of this was possible. Sure, it made a great story, sure, it was loads of fun to watch- but at the end of the day, the absurdity of the whole thing undermines the viewing experience. It feels like a major hole in the film that could have easily been fixed. I'm sorry, I couldn't get over the sheer complexity of the plot with those who supposedly came up with it. It makes the whole film feel like a Hollywood story, having nothing to do with reality.

Now, this is too bad, because the cast is pretty strong. I'm still not a Channing Tatum fan, but he gave a good performance here. Adam Driver adds a great supporting turn. He was very funny in a restrained way. I know people loved Daniel Craig in this role, but I didn't quite get it. His performance occasionally felt forced. Sure, he had some great moments, but he had some lackluster ones, too. Riley Keough had a few nice scenes, but felt underutilized. Katie Holmes was great to see, but she had even less to do than Keough. Actors like Katherine Waterston and Sebastian Stan felt totally wasted on fairly minor roles. It was a disservice to the film to include such talent and then not give them enough to do. You can say the same thing for Hilary Swank, who shows up too late and doesn't get enough screen time. It may have been setting her up for the sequel, but it felt like we got shortchanged here. The cast was strong, but Tatum, Driver, and Craig get the most time and the rest of the cast has to deal with their scraps. If you're going to have this many strong actors, you need to give them enough to do.

I admit that Logan Lucky is a fun movie and apparently most critics were able to see past those glaring flaws, because this movie was overwhelmingly liked by most critics. That's fine- I see the attraction. It was enjoyable. And yet, it still seems too polished, too perfect and not rooted in any kind of reality. This might have been a perfectly planned heist, but the script had a few too many holes for me.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Ocean's Eleven