The Bad Guys

Director: Pierre Perifel

Writer: Aaron Blabey, Etan Cohen, Yoni Brenner

Starring: Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Awkwafina, Craig Robinson, Anthony Ramos, Richard Ayoade, Zazie Beetz, Alex Borstein

Reason for watching: New release

Number of times I’ve watched it: First-time viewing

***

Now in my days as an avid movie watcher, I have seen plenty of heist movies. The Ocean’s movies are a fun and simple ride. The original Mission: Impossible was a starting point for a great franchise. Catch That Kid had baby Kristen Stewart before she was Princess Diana. In a lot of ways, I feel like a good heist movie is one of the more difficult tasks to pull off because we have to find a way to cheer for a pack of thieves. Making a group of criminals our relatable protagonists is hard to do. Then you add on the dynamic of making an enjoyable kids’ movie that parents are actually willing to sit through, and that is a tall order. But if you can pull it off, it is a minor miracle. So in an odd way, The Bad Guys is a minor artistic miracle.

A talented gang of animals known as The Bad Guys have been running rampant robbing banks and stealing valuables across the world. Led by the charming Mr. Wolf (Sam Rockwell), the group attempts to pull off their largest heist yet, attempting to steal a rare trophy from Dr. Marmalade (Richard Ayoade). Although they put up a good effort and almost get away with it, they ultimately fail. However, with Governor Foxington’s (Zazie Beetz) approval, they are granted an opportunity to avoid the slammer if they can turn a new leaf through some training from Dr. Marmalade. While they make good efforts, it is a challenge for the team, especially Mr. Snake (Marc Maron) to change who they are.

Like many of its recent animated peers, The Bad Guys has a stacked cast. Led by Rockwell, there is quite a unique group of comedic actors leading their voices. Rockwell holds down the fort solidly as the leading man, but this certainly is not his best work. More supporting characters like Awkwafina as Webs, a spider who is a hacker, and Mr. Shark, played by the legendary Craig Robinson, get most of the laughs. Honestly, I could not tell at first that Robinson was Mr. Shark. He disguises his voice incredibly well here. On top of this, you have career actors like Alex Borstein and Maron rounding out the roster and adding some more veteran work to the movie.

Why I value this great cast and want to compliment the casting directors here is that they really allow for these actors to bounce off each other. Plus the blend of comedic talent allows for some fun interactions between them. Particularly there is a fun dynamic between Mr. Snake and Mr. Shark over a push-pop that kept me laughing.

Otherwise, there is not much else to criticize or praise. The animation itself is strong but leaves a little to be desired. It almost seems like it was pulling a little bit too much from Into the Spider-Verse for some of the action sequences. But it seems like everyone is trying to copy that playbook nowadays. Said action scenes are fun, especially any car chase scenes. There is one interesting one later in the movie where the team is basically riding through a wave of guinea pigs while chasing down an enemy. Finally, the moral of the movie about learning to become a good person and valuing the people are you will not be breaking any new ground. But if you are in the mood for a good entertaining animated caper, this will do for you.

7/10

Until I see another one.