agrees to forge a painting by Monet to settle some debts. His father
and son join the plan as they try to escape the twin prongs of
criminals and the law closing in on them.
Directed by
Philip Martin Starring John Travolta, Christopher Plummer, Abigail
Spencer, Tye Sheridan
Why I Liked It – The
multi-generational interplay between three solid acting talents was
fun to watch. Just enough plot to hold it together.
There
is nothing particularly special about this movie. It’s a heist
movie with a predictable twist at the end. You may not see the
specific twist, but you know it’s coming. While the police play an
important role as a source of pressure in the plot, the characters
are flat and uninteresting. Yet, the movie is fun and
engrossing.
The reason for that is the three actors at the
center of the cast. Travolta has grown into a predictable and
satisfying performer. Here he calls up to for some quiet, conflicted
emotion dealing with a contentious father and terminally ill son. He
has to do what he has to do while trying to keep his family out of
it. Plummer has honed his chops for decades and this one is a doddle
for him. The father is cranky, boozy and doesn’t think much of his
son. He’s cared for the grandson while dad was inside. And Tye
Sheridan adds the right note of innocent, hero-worship to the mix.
It’s these three that make the movie worth watching. Travolta and
Plummer fence back and forth without resorting to histrionics. It
feels real, and that’s what this movie needed.
Beyond
those three, there’s not much of great interest. Some bits about
art and creation are interesting (Travolta studied painting to
prepare for the role). The story isn’t action obsessed, which is a
nice change of pace. Some will find it slow because of that, but my
advice is to allow the movie to be what it is. It’s the story of
how certain generations of men interact and love one another. It’s
a redemption story and the story of fathers and sons.
And
that’s more than enough.
Rating – *** Worth A Look
Stories Are My Life 
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