AndersonVision Best Films of 2017: #22 – Baby Driver (Tristar Pictures)
BABY DRIVER REVIEWED
“Baby Driver” has an amazing soundtrack. It’s also the best edited film since Fury Road. Couple that with my intense joy over Jamie Foxx’s death scene and I’m left in a weird place. What about the movie did I like? These are the questions that I ask myself, which only irritates the people who see movies with me. Obvious appeal is obvious, but what lies beneath the technical and pretty aesthetic? What makes Baby Driver matter?
Much like that sly Paul Williams cameo, the film exists in the details. Study Baby and how he interacts with his lady love Debora. Pay attention to how Jon Hamm works with his wife and in her absence. Take the time to understand why Jamie Foxx hates Baby so much. Did you do it? Think about the wreck that killed Baby’s parents. Notice the final position of Baby’s father right before he dies. Now, think to the last time we saw Foxx’s character.
This film has more daddy issues than vintage Spielberg. Whether it’s Doc, Buddy or Foxx’s Bats…Baby needs a vengeful father figure. They’re not always angry, but these men are quick to slip into anger. Plus, they all seem to have a deep seated resentment of the Mommy doppleganger Debora the Waitress. Bangmaid Mommy offers Baby a way out of his thug life and into the great frontier. There are no solid answers or plans. It’s just an issue of safety to have Baby and Mommy lookalike come together.
The film wears its love of Walter Hill, Atlanta and driving culture on its sleeve. What makes the film so exciting is that I see Edgar Wright turning a corner here. While it’s not as major as Spielberg going from 1941 to Raiders, it’s still quite a jump. Do the right thing and see it this weekend. You can look smart by bringing up the weird Oedipal underpinnings of the movie. I won’t even rat you out.
FILM STATS
- R
- 1 hr and 53 mins
- Tristar Pictures
