After a hiatus from feature films, director Steven Soderbergh is back with a fun, redneck Ocean's Eleven-style caper that is full of great performances and is just what is needed to buoy a lackluster summer film season.
Proud West Virginians, the Logan brothers, Jimmy (Channing Tatum) and Clyde (Adam Driver), have a cursed family history and just can't seem to get ahead. Jimmy has lost his mining job and his wife, while Clyde is missing an arm (or a hand, to be more precise) and runs a local bar. Their sister Mellie (Riley Keough) is a scantily clad hairdresser who thinks she's the voice of reason but turns out to be plenty game for her brothers' hijinks. When the Logans decide to change their fortune by robbing the Charlotte Motor Speedway on race day, they enlist the help of the Bang brothers, led by in-car-cer-a-ted explosives artist Joe (Daniel Craig), along with other town (and prison) acquaintances. Jimmy needs the money to be closer to his young daughter, who is moving to another city, and if the Logans can pull off their scheme, they just might be able to save the family name.
The machinations of how the heist goes down are way too complicated to discuss here, but just know that there's a prison fire, a stolen Ford Mustang, a tetanus shot, a children's beauty pageant, some prosthetic appendages, a few bags of gummy bears, and Dwight Yoakam are all involved. Just as in Soderbergh's Ocean's franchise, we ultimately don't really care about how complicated the plot gets or how exactly each step precisely falls into place. We care about the characters, and we want to hang out with them for two hours, no matter what they might be doing. The film does seem to lose momentum toward the end, as it's difficult to tell if the last twenty minutes are the third act or an extended denouement. And there is some doubt about what may happen to this crew after the credits roll. The ambiguity of the final minutes could be very smart or very lazy, but it's fun nonetheless.
There isn't a single misstep in casting, as each star gets a chance to shine. It's fun seeing James Bond in a striped jump suit with a southern accent. And when he begins writing chemistry equations on an underground wall, I nearly lost it. Adam Driver continues to grow as an actor and is perhaps my favorite person in the film. His deliberate drawl and sincere face provide an instant sympathetic connection, even though you know there's probably just a hint of crazy behind those eyes. And Seth MacFarlane and Hillary Swank have cameos that wink at the audience just the right amount.
I'm always a little uncomfortable when watching a film that explores stereotypes of the South. After all, the characters in the film must simultaneously be the most intelligent and most moronic people one can imagine. We must laugh at their stupidity, while also believing their ingenuity. That's a high-wire act Soderbergh and his cast are able to pull off because the ride is so enjoyable. In lesser hands, the film could've been an uncreative gag poking fun at people who don't usually have a voice to defend themselves.
All in all, Logan Lucky is an enjoyable romp with enough twists to keep you on the edge of your seat, enough clever dialogue to keep you laughing, and enough heart to keep you caring about these characters. It's a great way to bring the summer to a close.
Grade: B+
Proud West Virginians, the Logan brothers, Jimmy (Channing Tatum) and Clyde (Adam Driver), have a cursed family history and just can't seem to get ahead. Jimmy has lost his mining job and his wife, while Clyde is missing an arm (or a hand, to be more precise) and runs a local bar. Their sister Mellie (Riley Keough) is a scantily clad hairdresser who thinks she's the voice of reason but turns out to be plenty game for her brothers' hijinks. When the Logans decide to change their fortune by robbing the Charlotte Motor Speedway on race day, they enlist the help of the Bang brothers, led by in-car-cer-a-ted explosives artist Joe (Daniel Craig), along with other town (and prison) acquaintances. Jimmy needs the money to be closer to his young daughter, who is moving to another city, and if the Logans can pull off their scheme, they just might be able to save the family name.
The machinations of how the heist goes down are way too complicated to discuss here, but just know that there's a prison fire, a stolen Ford Mustang, a tetanus shot, a children's beauty pageant, some prosthetic appendages, a few bags of gummy bears, and Dwight Yoakam are all involved. Just as in Soderbergh's Ocean's franchise, we ultimately don't really care about how complicated the plot gets or how exactly each step precisely falls into place. We care about the characters, and we want to hang out with them for two hours, no matter what they might be doing. The film does seem to lose momentum toward the end, as it's difficult to tell if the last twenty minutes are the third act or an extended denouement. And there is some doubt about what may happen to this crew after the credits roll. The ambiguity of the final minutes could be very smart or very lazy, but it's fun nonetheless.
There isn't a single misstep in casting, as each star gets a chance to shine. It's fun seeing James Bond in a striped jump suit with a southern accent. And when he begins writing chemistry equations on an underground wall, I nearly lost it. Adam Driver continues to grow as an actor and is perhaps my favorite person in the film. His deliberate drawl and sincere face provide an instant sympathetic connection, even though you know there's probably just a hint of crazy behind those eyes. And Seth MacFarlane and Hillary Swank have cameos that wink at the audience just the right amount.
I'm always a little uncomfortable when watching a film that explores stereotypes of the South. After all, the characters in the film must simultaneously be the most intelligent and most moronic people one can imagine. We must laugh at their stupidity, while also believing their ingenuity. That's a high-wire act Soderbergh and his cast are able to pull off because the ride is so enjoyable. In lesser hands, the film could've been an uncreative gag poking fun at people who don't usually have a voice to defend themselves.
All in all, Logan Lucky is an enjoyable romp with enough twists to keep you on the edge of your seat, enough clever dialogue to keep you laughing, and enough heart to keep you caring about these characters. It's a great way to bring the summer to a close.
Grade: B+