Tower Heist
There’s not much to say about a jerry-built caper comedy, except that this one has timeliness on it side, and some first-rate clowns. The employees at a gilded Manhattan apartment complex, led by manager Ben Stiller, decide to rob the ass of a Madoff-like billionaire in the penthouse (a supremely slimy Alan Alda). Why? He’s bilked them out of their pensions. Stiller recruits a bankrupt resident (Matthew Broderick) and a bellhop (Michael Peña). But the friskiest conspirator is Slide (Eddie Murphy), a thief with his own agenda. Stiller is the Man when you want to add soul to silliness. And it’s great to see Murphy dump the Dr. Dolittle drool and play street again. Director Brett Ratner doesn’t exactly tie up loose ends; the whole movie is loose ends. But it’s a kick to watch a Ponzi-schemer get his. You won’t remember Tower Heist an hour later, but the top cast makes the jokes (even the lousy ones) go down easy.
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