classicsoncall
Take Art Carney out of the sewer and he's a pretty good character actor. You didn't get a sense of his range as an actor while portraying Ed Norton in "The Honeymooners". Here he's joined by George Burns and Lee Strasberg as retirees trying to make ends meet as their lives hit the doldrums sitting on park benches and watching the rest of their years pass by. One thing I had to check was the ages of the three actors in the picture; Carney is actually the youngster of this group at sixty one when the film was made. Strasberg was seventy eight and Burns was eighty one with another two decades to go! Once all the shenanigans with the bank job are out of the way, the story turns poignant for Joe Harris (Burns) as he has to endure the passing of his two long time buddies. Burns as expected is wonderful in the role, though I wish director Martin Brest had made him a gentler curmudgeon in that scene with the bratty looking kid in the park. He cursed the kid out twice and that didn't seem in keeping with his character. But then again, he concocted the robbery scheme and threw caution to the wind at the gaming tables. For the sake of the story, I'll go along with the seventy grand haul in Las Vegas, but it does make you wonder if they could have pulled it off for real.Apart from the story, I did a major double take when the camera panned that cemetery that was filmed for the movie. Holy cow - it was huge! So much so that I had to look it up. Assuming it was in or close to the Astoria, Queens neighborhood the three elderly gents lived in, a search came up with the Calvary Cemetery in Astoria. It's one of the oldest cemeteries in the country, and one of the largest in terms of interments with, get this - over three million burials! It's always very cool when a movie leads me to an interesting bit of trivia like that. So now you know too.
edwagreen
A terrific gem of a film.Three elderly men are so bored with their lives that they rob a bank and actually get away with it for a while.The trio are all masterfully played by Art Carney, Lee Strasberg and George Burns.With the robbery behind them, it's time for vacation in flashy Las Vegas. Coming back to face the ultimate music, 2 of our "heroes" pass on and leave the rest of the story and the loot to the survivor.A sad but extremely effective commentary on retirement and old age. If you're contemplating retirement, miss this film until you know how you're going to spend your days.
moonspinner55
Three elderly friends concoct a scheme to rob a bank...but what will they do with all that money? Although bank robbery is hardly endearing, director Martin Brest (doing very nimble work) glosses over the extremities and gives us George Burns, Art Carney and Lee Strasberg at their most amiable. Brest isn't afraid to be tender, but he's not maudlin and has a good sense of humor and pacing. Unfortunately, the screenplay loses steam in its third act, which gets gummed up with much realer issues and plot-snags (an unconvincing jaunt to Las Vegas is also weak). Up to that point, however, surprisingly good, with the three leads impeccably interacting. *** from ****
DotelMotel
"Going In Style" is a perfect movie. It is a film that is funny as much as it is sad. It will get your heart racing with excitement and touch you with emotion. It is about loneliness, friendship, family, living, and dying. It features so many twists and turns - many unexpected - that by the end of the picture, the viewer is generally surprised at what had just occurred. And yet, at 28, director Martin Breast created a flawless gem getting three outstanding performances out his senior citizen leads (George Burns, Art Carney, and Lee Strasburg). There are great movies and then there are those few special movies that you hold a special place in your heart for and share with others around you. "Going In Style" for me is one of those movies.
AD
