Michael Bay downscales from intergalactic to intercoastal for a smaller-budget “action comedy” on the American dream. Originally published in Miami in late December 1999 and early January 2000, Pete Collins’ three-part series “Pain & Gain” is the source for a snide screenplay by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely that relates the kidnapping caper of three idiotic bodybuilders. Bay’s “Pain & Gain”–which boasts the onscreen cracks “Unfortunately this is a true story” and “This is still a true story” toward the end—joins the Southern true-crime genre that includes “Bernie,” “Bully” and “Monster.” “I’ve watched a lot of movies–I know what I’m doing,” blusters ringleader Daniel Lugo (Mark Wahlberg). Repetitive references to self-made manhood are channeled through a tacky Chinese self-help huckster with the mantras: “Get Off Your Lazy American Ass” and “Don’t be a don’t-er, do be a doer.” Just inducted into the Alamo Drafthouse’s Tough Guy Hall of Fame, Bay is an ambiguous booster of bootstrap Americanism. The grotesques populating “Pain & Gain” are mocked with verve. Yet Bay packages their driving ideals for a perverse salute to all-American entrepreneurship. He inadvertently violates more than a few Red Scare-era “Do’s and Don’t’s” that Ayn Rand authored for The Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals, such as “Don’t smear wealth,” “Don’t smear success” and “Don’t glorify failure.” With Dwayne Johnson, Anthony Mackie, Tony Shalhoub, Ken Jeong, Ed Harris. (Bill Stamets)
Ray Pride is Newcity’s Senior Editor and Film Critic. He is a contributing editor of Filmmaker magazine.
Ray’s history of Chicago Ghost Signs is planned for publication next year. Previews of the project are on Twitter and on Instagram. More photography on Instagram.
Heart: A Review of Soul The real world is soulful, too, in Pixar's bountiful life of the mind.
Seeing The Elephant: A Review Of Babylon The boisterous, brawling yet melancholy "Babylon," is a variation on film history, but more drawing for drama. It's gaudy and mean, celebratory and sorrowful.
Uncanny Ally: A Review Of M3GAN "M3GAN" sells itself in its first handful of seconds in how it introduces the handiwork of roboticist Gemma (Allison Williams, "Get Out") and her present product, PurrPetual Petz from Funki.
Fine Line: A Review Of Shortcomings It's a season for the comeuppance of a curmudgeon in Randall Park's smart, biting "Shortcomings," adapted by Adrian Tomine from his graphic novel of the same name.
Spawn Sacrifice: A Review Of The Creator "The Creator" is richly detailed, punchy, pulpy, punkish entertainment that still has highly serious subjects in mind, without growing didactic and with substantial heart.
A Drag Getting Old: A Review Of Indiana Jones 5 In the protracted opening couple of reels, a very young, computer-crafted Harrison Ford plays a younger cultural marauder who first encounters the dull MacGuffin of the title.
Michael Bay downscales from intergalactic to intercoastal for a smaller-budget “action comedy” on the American dream. Originally published in Miami in late December 1999 and early January 2000, Pete Collins’ three-part series “Pain & Gain” is the source for a snide screenplay by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely that relates the kidnapping caper of three idiotic bodybuilders. Bay’s “Pain & Gain”–which boasts the onscreen cracks “Unfortunately this is a true story” and “This is still a true story” toward the end—joins the Southern true-crime genre that includes “Bernie,” “Bully” and “Monster.” “I’ve watched a lot of movies–I know what I’m doing,” blusters ringleader Daniel Lugo (Mark Wahlberg). Repetitive references to self-made manhood are channeled through a tacky Chinese self-help huckster with the mantras: “Get Off Your Lazy American Ass” and “Don’t be a don’t-er, do be a doer.” Just inducted into the Alamo Drafthouse’s Tough Guy Hall of Fame, Bay is an ambiguous booster of bootstrap Americanism. The grotesques populating “Pain & Gain” are mocked with verve. Yet Bay packages their driving ideals for a perverse salute to all-American entrepreneurship. He inadvertently violates more than a few Red Scare-era “Do’s and Don’t’s” that Ayn Rand authored for The Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals, such as “Don’t smear wealth,” “Don’t smear success” and “Don’t glorify failure.” With Dwayne Johnson, Anthony Mackie, Tony Shalhoub, Ken Jeong, Ed Harris. (Bill Stamets)
