Eddie Murphy and Ben Stiller starred in the film “Tower Heist” with many other well-known actors in this reveng-esqe comedy.
In this comedy/adventure flick, Josh Kovacs (Ben Stiller) is the manager of The Tower, the classiest hotel for the rich around Central Park, N.Y. Kovacs runs his hotel staff like an elite battalion of Cirque du Soleil performers. Okay, maybe not so graphic and crazy, but the point is that he’s always on top of things making sure that every resident loves their stay at The Tower.
Staying in the hotel’s penthouse is Kovacs’ top priority, Arthur Shaw (Alan Alda), the billionaire Wall Street financial dealer. This goes so far that Mr. Shaw plays chess with Kovacs online and he’s on top of Shaw’s schedule more than he is. The two appear to be pretty close. At least until the billionaire fails his attempt to flee the FBI for stealing more than 20 million dollars.
Finding out from the love interest, I mean special agent, Claire Dunham (Tea Leoni), Shaw stole the retirement pension accounts for every employee at The Tower. This knowledge pushes Kovacs over the edge.
Now Shaw is almost untouchable as he’s held under house arrest at The Tower until his trial date. Kovacs knows that the money has to be hidden in the penthouse and he has a plan.
1) Wait until Shaw leaves.
2) Perform the heist during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
3) They need the help of Slide (Eddie Murphy) and his skills as a petty thief to pull off the heist and the break in.
Oh! Did I mention they need to figure out how to break open the toughest lock in the world? Good luck, Eddie!
The movie is PG-13 for language primarily and I do not recall seeing sexual content, but I remember some hilarious lesbians dialogue at the groups planning session.
It’s a fun movie that takes the audience on the wild ride of an all-star cast attempting to take their money back and make amends with the hotel staff for the stolen money.
Pros: I, being a chess fan, was happy with a few of the chess references during the movie. Give the movie a shot if you have the time. It’s will tickle your gut (quite funny)
Cons: I know it’s nice getting to know everyone at the beginning of the movie, but I felt it took too long to get to the point. If you’re late to the movie 10 minutes in or maybe even 15, you would not have missed much.
Hmm: You think you know what’s going to happen and then they prove you wrong. Nice!
Watch it: I recommend seeing it Thanksgiving day/ weekend if the family wants to go out to a matinee.
