There are still a lot of us who wished Edgar Wright had been able to work things out with Marvel and doAnt-Manthe way he wanted to do it. I no longer wish that. Why, you might ask would a Marvel loving man who has adored just about everythingEdgar Wrighthas ever done say something so seemingly blasphemous? Because he got to makeBaby Driverand oh man, it is so crazy good.
TriStar Pictures’Baby Drivercenters on a talented, young getaway driver (Ansel Elgort) who goes by the name of Baby. He relies on the beat of his personal soundtrack to be the best at what he does; which is driving fast in high-pressure situations. Things get dicey after he is coerced into working for a crime boss (Kevin Spacey). As one might expect in a movie about crime, things don’t go as planned and that has baby running for his life and trying to protect the ones he loves.
Up to this point in his career, at least when it comes to directing movies,Edgar Wrighthas mostly been known for making comedies.Baby Driverdefinitely has its fair share of laughs, but make no mistake; this is like nothing we have ever seen from him before. That said, this is very definitively anEdgar Wrightmovie. His stamps are all over this thing. This movie is action-packed, thrilling, totally unique and flat out entertaining from start to finish. Not that anyone was worried about a movie fromEdgar Wrightnot being entertaining, but rest assured, he does not need to be working in the world of comedy to turn out something truly brilliant. He has proved that withBaby Driver.
Outside of having a great director behind the camera, the cast that was assembled for this movie is flat out brilliant.Ansel Elgortbares the bulk of the bulk of the responsibility as Baby and he knocks it out of the park. Most people probably know him as the charming sick kid fromThe Fault in Our Stars. That movie made it clear he can act.Baby Drivermakes it clear this dude is a bonafide movie star. He has so much charisma that at times, he outshinesJon Hamm(who is also great and his usual amount of way too handsome),Jamie FoxxandKevin Spacey, who I might add both have Oscars somewhere in their big fancy houses that they paid for by being really good at acting. And let me be clear, all of them our crazy good in this movie as well. It is so great to seeJon Hammdo something so different.Lily Jamesalso is totally perfect as Deborah, Baby’s love interest. Most of us may know her asCinderellabut again, this is something way out of the ordinary for her in the best way.Jon BernthalandEiza Gonzalezround out this cast perfectly and make it so there is hardly ever a dull moment in this movie.
What is perhaps most impressive aboutBaby Driveris that it is so many things all at the same time and it does all of them so well it is almost hard to believe. There are outstanding car chases that would lead us to believeEdgar Wrightcould probably direct aFast & Furiousmovie. There is such a compelling love story that I kind of want to see him tackle a romantic comedy right now. Also, this movie borders on being some kind of pseudo musical, even though hardly anyone sings more than a few words. But music plays an incredibly important role in this movie. It is the foundation. It is the bedrock. It really is a charatcer in the movie. A perfectly crafted character. Also, you’ll probably wantEdgar Wrightto start managing your playlists from now on. The point is, this movie is a lot of things and not one of those things suffers.
Baby Driveris the kind of movie that will make you laugh. It will make you gasp. Gosh darn it, the movie may even make you cry. It is also the kind of movie that probably will deserve some awards recognition come next year’s Oscars, even though it is certainly not the type of movie, at least not historically, that the Academy acknowledges. That is the real crime here. It may be hard to believe, butEdgar Wrightmay have outdone himself this time around. Objectively, this may be his best movie to date and I am aware just how insane that may sound. I encourage you to see it the second you may. This is a must see, plain and simple.
