Stand Up Guys Directed by: Fisher Stevens Starring: Al Pacino, Christopher Walken, Alan Arkin Rating: R Release Date: January 11, 2013
TRAILER SCORE: 8/10
Thoughts by TSR: Turns out that this is not, in fact, a film where Al Pacino and Christopher Walken play rival stand-up comedians. I’ll admit that is a little disappointing, but the melancholic undercurrent found throughout this trailer for Stand Up Guys is appealing. I didn’t know what to expect from this, though I did assume it would be more of a straight comedy full of wacky old guy hijinks. While there is some amusing stuff here, such as Alan Arkin having trouble with the future car, the stuff that works best is the sadness and the great cast in the middle of it.
And this does have a great cast, even if Al Pacino and Christopher Walken haven’t lately been delivering the level of work they’re capable of (though I’m excited to see Walken in Martin McDonagh’s Seven Psychopaths). Both of them look to be engaged and that will go a long way towards its success. Alan Arkin, meanwhile, appears to be giving a reliable performance, and it could be a lot of fun to see these three together. One of my favorite moments in the trailer – Pacino and Walken dancing as Arkin claps his hands – only lasts for a second, but it speaks to how great they could be playing off one another (made stronger by us knowing the darkness of what Tio Salamanca has tasked Walken with doing). I didn’t know what I’d be getting before I watched the trailer for Stand Up Guys, but I’m happy to have found a film I’m really looking forward to seeing this January.