Movie Review: Tower Heist

In Tower Heist, Ben Stiller plays a building manager to New York City’s most exclusive apartment building. After Stiller and his co-workers are done wrong by the businessman who lives in the penthouse, they decide to steal back their money. Stiller spends the first half of the movie trying to put together his own crew the way that Clooney does in the original Ocean’s remake.

The movie begins with Alan Alda (Andy Garcia in Ocean’s 11) faking a kidnapping. Apparently, faking a kidnapping is the most subtle way to flee the country to avoid federal charges. I guess I shouldn’t complain because that gives Ben Stiller a chance to get clotheslined by Téa Leoni. Listen, you learn not to ask questions early.

Not that you care about any of that. You can figure all that out from the trailer. I’m guess you want to know if the movie is sucks and more importantly – Is Eddie Murphy funny? Well, Tower Heist doesn’t suck – though it isn’t going to win any awards for goodness either. I know my criteria is generally pretty low, but I was amused for most of the 104 minutes, despite all the movies’ flaws. And maybe more importantly, Eddie Murphy is funny.

Since all the Tower employees are decent people, they turn to Stiller’s criminal neighbor, played by Murphy. Murphy is the highlight of the movie and I think we’re all happy that he still has the capacity to be funny. Does it bother me that he’s playing a version of Leon Black? That, I’m not sure of. I love Leon Black and Eddie Murphy does a pretty damn convincing Leon Black.

No one will remember Tower Heist in a month, but for an hour and forty minutes, it will amuse you. As long as you don’t think about what you’re watching.