Tower Heist

Release Date: Nov 04, 2011 

Runtime: 1 hr. 45 min. 

Director: Brett Ratner 

Cast: Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy, Casey Affleck, Alan Alda, Matthew Broderick, Téa Leoni, Michael Peña, Gabourey Sidibe.

Talk about a job gone wrong. When a group of condo employees get bamboozled by their wealthy resident, the only way to cope is to get even. But like all knuckle-headed heists, it's easier said than done, and improbability becomes irrelevant in a caper-comedy made for amateurs. In his first mainstream movie since "Rush Hour 3," Ratner keeps to what he knows, bringing talent together for a comedy that should please the general masses. Led by an unusually reserved Ben Stiller, the cast is what makes "Tower Heist" so appealing, giving much deserved attention to the supporting likes of Michael Peña and Gabourey Sidibe. But at the end of the day, it's all about the Eddie Murphy show and his long-awaited comeback to the comedy spotlight. After years of spiraling downward with family-friendly gigs, Murphy returns with gusto, and validates his old knack for humor with his fast-talking, wise-cracking persona. While the first half of the film delivers the majority of the jokes from the trailer, it's no less amusing in the context of the planning that already seems ill-fated from the start. It's when the actual heist comes into play that things go astray, and open a can of unanswered questions that leave us feeling dumbfounded. Still, Ratner's films are never meant to be taken seriously and this one shouldn't either. A heist is what you ask for and a heist is what you get.

Rating: 3 stars