It’s a very warm Summer evening at KFHS Radio. Nothing out of the ordinary is occurring. DJ Mad Mike prepares the sound board for the upcoming show. DJ TV reads trivia about this evening’s film to be reviewed. Foxx Jackson leans back in his chair and hums the “Pink Panther Theme.” Indeed, for once the Screening Room is doing absolutely nothing interesting. Nothing odd ever occurs before the Screening Room. As 6:00 approaches, the crew buckles up and accelerates into their review of Edgar Wright’s “Baby Driver.”
“Baby Driver” tells the story of Baby (Ansel Elgort), yes B-A-B-Y Baby, a young man who works as a getaway driver for criminal overlord Doc (Kevin Spacey). After completing his final job for Doc, Baby meets diner waitress Debora (Lily James) who he promptly falls for. Will Baby and Debora be able drive away into the sunset? Or will Baby’s criminal past catch up to him? “Baby Driver” boast a star-studded cast including: Jon Hamm, Jamie Foxx, and Eiza Gonzalez alongside those already named.
“This movie is basically a musical without people singing” says Mad Mike “[Director] Edgar Wright has all the characters doing things in time with the music. If someone is shooting a machine gun, it’s on the beat of the song in the background.” Indeed, Baby Driver is a highly stylized piece of film. Sporting an absolutely phenomenal sound track Baby Driver is ,if anything, fun to listen to. “They didn’t just pick every hit song from the last 20 years” continues Mad Mike “it’s unique, when they do play a slightly more well-known song they do it in a weird remixed way.” “In interviews, Kevin Spacey has said that they would listen to the song during scenes” offers DJ TV “It’s not like it was edited to look like it’s in time with the music, they performed all the scenes to be exactly how they are.” The styling is easily the greatest part of the film. “The plot, while interesting, is actually pretty stock” points out Foxx Jackson “however, the brilliant casting, perfect sound track, and absolutely unbelievable styling make this movie a masterwork of film.”
Speaking of brilliant casting, everyone in Baby Driver plays their part exceptionally well. In fact, Jon Hamm’s role was specifically written for him by Wright. “I don’t think anyone could have replaced Jamie Foxx in this film” says Foxx Jackson “he’s incredible.” “You just hate him” adds Mad Mike “I love Jamie Foxx and he really shines in this movie.” Ansel Elgort, who only has a couple films under his belt, does very well as Baby. Elgort delivers a complex performance with both lighted-hearted moments of humour and darker scenes of intensity and rage. Kevin Spacey gets a little type cast here, but it’s more than alright. Spacey gives a knockout performance as Doc, even if it’s a little reminiscent of just about every other performance he’s given in the last 10 years (outside of his short film work). “I was glad to see Kevin Spacey in this movie” says DJ TV “He’s quirky and charming, yet still manages to be a bad dude, it’s an awesome contrast.” Lily James, who you may recognize from 2015’s Cinderella, is a delight and offers a charming performance that makes her character instantly likable.
As always the Screening Room rates on a scale of:
Buy it
Watch it
Pass
Burn it
“Baby Driver, it’s a super fun action movie with really deep characters that are well fleshed out. It looks great, early in the movie there’s a scene where everything is lined up perfectly, the words to the song are written on signs, Baby is interacting with the world in relevant ways. It was a great movie, it’s definitely a Buy It” – Mad Mike
“It’s a musical, without being a musical. The more I think about it, the more I like it. The soundtrack is absolutely incredible, I love it. The characters are written well, Jamie Foxx and Jon Hamm absolutely kill their roles. I’ll definitely give this one a Buy It, frankly it’s a masterwork.” – Foxx Jackson
“It’s a great movie, there’s just a couple issues I have plotwise where some things just don’t feel natural. However, all the characters are interesting and the stylizing is excellent. You can tell this is an Edgar Wright film and it’s cool to see him do something new and that he can work outside of his usual style. Despite my issues, I’d have to give it a Buy It.” – DJ TV
Baby Driver is Screening Room approved as Buy It.