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Going In Style Movie Review

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Isaac

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Going In Style

I saw Going In Style, the latest age-based comedy, and it wasn’t bad. Wasn’t great either though.

The comedy is about three guys, Joe, Bill, and Al, played by Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, and Alan Arkin respectively, whose pension funds are cut by the bank that bought the steel factory they used to work for.

Struggling to pay their bills and angry at the bank, they decide to rob it to get back at the entity that screwed them over. They hope to use the money to enjoy their old age by spending it with their families instead of restarting their careers.

There’s a few jokes, but I wouldn’t exactly call the movie a comedy, more like a heist movie that’s masquerading as a comedy. I snorted at a few points, but nothing made me or the mostly elderly audience laugh out loud.

The heist portion of the movie is decent. Instead of life-or-death car chases or intense struggles with the bank’s defenses, the characters get distracted and make mistakes just like normal people. Evading the police after the heist is amazing in its own way, but don’t expect anything too flashy.

Their plan isn’t to steal as much money as possible, only to steal what they would’ve received from their pensions. The moral character of the three doesn’t permit them to steal more than that.

That’s where the movie really shines, character development. Each of the retired “young men” (they continually refer to each other as “young man” throughout the movie) has a subplot.

Joe’s ex-son-in-law, Murphy, is an absent father and Joe has been the father figure for Murphy’s daughter throughout her childhood. Joe tries to reinvolve Murphy in his daughter’s life as a replacement should Joe be arrested.

Bill is dealing with kidney failure, but hasn’t told anyone for a number of typical reasons that people keep their diseases private.

Al is a lifelong bachelor and has lived with Bill for the last 25 years. A woman his age shows interest in him, but he is reluctant to pursue a relationship with her.

By the end of the movie all the subplots are resolved in one way or another. I won’t spoil it, but the movie is a “comedy” so that might give you a clue.

The acting in the movie is excellent. The stars are great and the supporting cast are excellent as well. I wouldn’t have expected anything less from the three leads.

The movie isn’t bad, but it isn’t amazing either. Perhaps I missed some of the movie’s appeal as I’m 26 instead of 62. I doubt it though. Most of the audience was elderly and they seemed to enjoy it to the same degree that I did.

If you want to go see a light comedy/drama/heist flick staring some 80 year-olds, Going In Style is the right film for you. If you want something that’s more concretely in one genre, this isn’t the movie for you.

-GoCorral

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Hello,

I’m Isaac

Welcome to the GoCorral website! I’m Isaac Shaker and this is a place for me to write about D&D and occasionally other topics. I host a podcast called Setting the Stage that interviews different DMs about their campaigns. I’m currently focused on completing the Cimmeria campaign setting and turning it into a book.

Setting the Stage Podcast

77 – KPop DnD Hunters (Dan and Idols of the Neon Dark) – Setting the Stage, Campaigns for D&D and Other RPGs

Dan talked with me about his Kickstarter campaign, Idols of the Neon Dark. It's a D&D 5e supplement that tries to bring the fun and atmosphere of K-pop to Dungeons and Dragons. The media frenzy around KPop Demon Hunters inspired Dan to create a product based on the musical genre that his young daughters could enjoy with him.Idols of the Neon Dark contains an Idol character class to represent the teamwork and coordination of K-pop groups. Alongside the Idol class there's a setting called Lumenica City. The city is an undeground haven of neon lights, skyscrapers, and music. There's campaign for levels 1-6 and a bunch of side adventures as well to place within Lumenica City or your setting of choice.You can support Idols of the Neon Dark on Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/wrenegade-dan/k-pop-5e-hunters-shadows-of-the-neon-darkIdols of the Neon Dark Discord server: https://discord.com/invite/SREMffsEGWIdols of the Neon Dark Playtest Materials: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1CqyORb1gD6blKjSvRlPFzO-n9cj6QI68?usp=drive_linkPAX East Playtest Schedule. BOOK NOW! These are in March! https://www.projecthedron.com/events/697b8b2a040ec653b52091b6/sessions?search=name_li_Idols__nd__associatedEventId_eq_697b8b2a040ec653b52091b6&advSearch=true&page=1UKGE Playtest Schedule: https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/ukge-idols-of-the-neon-dark-free-play-test-4817224Dan also runs a marketing business for Kickstarters that you should check out if you're thinking of launching your own crowdfunding campaign. Look at how well it worked for Idols of the Neon Dark! https://wrenegadecrowdfunding.com/Our website: https://gocorral.com/stsWant to be on the show? Fill out this survey: https://forms.gle/U11TbxtAReHFKbiVAJoin our Discord: https://discord.gg/Nngc2pQV6CSupport the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/SettingtheStage Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
  1. 77 – KPop DnD Hunters (Dan and Idols of the Neon Dark)
  2. 76 – Flying Island Worlds (Alan and Fractus)
  3. 75 – Masks, Capitalism, and Coming of Age (Joel and Critical Bits)
  4. 74 – Kylie and Fallout: Garden of Atom
  5. 73 – Duncan and Extraordinary Locations

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