There’s a growing trend in cinema right now, and that is the trend of movies being fun again. Just a good old-fashioned time at the theater (or home since streaming accounts for most viewership these days) filled with laughs and action and heart that remind you why you go to escape in the first place. We need fun movies now more than ever – gestures to literally everything – and Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice is the surprise fun hit you’ve been looking for. Packed with all the things that make movies great, this genre hybrid stays light on its feet and moves with kinetic, hyper-stylized energy. It’s the kind of film that feels tailor-made for my sensibilities, a constant knowing winking without being too self-congratulatory and sneakily injects a fair amount of heart beneath its sci-fi action hijinks.
Written and directed by BenDavid Grabinski (Happily), Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice follows three titular characters: two aging gangsters and the woman between them. Mike (James Marsden) and Nick (Vince Vaughn) were once close friends and are now only connected through their mob ties. Mike is looking for a way out, and Nick is a dedicated lieutenant. Enter Alice (Eliza Gonzalez), Nick’s estranged wife who also happens to be having a secret love affair with Mike. Without spoilers, everything collides when secrets and frame jobs and cannibal assassins – yes, really – and time travel get involved, and all three will have to fight for their lives, air out their grievances and survive the night.
As luck would have it, two Vaughns are better than one, and Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice makes the most of the two Nicks that run amok together. Vaughn may be getting up there in age, but when the vehicle is right for his brand of comedic timing and charisma its a treat to watch. Marsden has always been sharp in these kinds of roles, and pairs shockingly well with Vaughn in a sort of “was this supposed to be Luke Wilson?” kind of role. But it’s Eliza Gonzalez and the supporting cast that runaway with the film entirely. Gonzalez really needs to be in more good things like this because not only is she stunning, she’s incredibly funny and perfectly suited for this kind of weird mayhem.
Eliza Gonzalez and Supporting Cast Steal The Show
In less capable hands, Alice could be a throwaway character who only serves to move the mens’ character arc along. But rather than be a plot point lynchpin, Gonzalez injects Alice with a sense of purpose and necessity, rounding out the trio worth following on their bizarre one last job gone wrong night. Naming all of the supporting cast would also spoil some well hidden surprises, but ones like Keith David as the mob boss Sosa and Jimmy Tatro as his son Jimmy Boy are scene stealers. Tatro is so good at being the big dumb bro, and it works incredibly well here. And even when he’s being silly and dialing into the wavelength of the film, Keith David’s gravitas and presence simply can’t be denied. Grabinski proves himself to be adept at controlled chaos, exploring the space of movie making while constantly giving every performer on screen something fun to do and some freedom to play around in most scenes.
There’s a total package here in Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice that feels like a longing nostalgia for how films used to be while using all of the current tools to keep it visually appealing. Things like a kick ass soundtrack that doesn’t just exist for needle drops – of which there are many – but actually feel alive within the world created. It’s sprawling too, ranging from old school Mortal Kombat soundtrack club hits to Oasis to Steve Wywood and everything else in between. It’s the kind of music collection that reminds you of a better time when we used to WANT to rush out and buy movie soundtracks. Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice is also packed with millennial references. Not just movies and pop culture, but whole elongated discussions about Gilmore Girls that aren’t just there to generate Leo Pointing Memes but actually feel pertinent to the story.
What’s most surprising about Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice is its heart and sweetness. Grabinski may be having a blast blending gangsters and time travel, but he also has something to say about relationships, regret and love. There aren’t many because the film moves at a near breakneck pace, but it shines bright in its quieter moments and small reflections on life lived and lost. It’s subtle, but there is a reflective quality to its leads, all of whom discover something new about themselves and their relationships together from all parts of their lives; the past, present and future all at the same time. Grabinksi doesn’t have to do this, either. Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice would be perfectly fine resting on the surface of hilarious and violent gun fights, larger than life characters, low brow humor and twisty timey wimey shenanigans. But it’s a vital piece that pushes it over the edge and makes it one of the better straight-to-streaming releases we’ve seen in a while.
Final Thoughts
Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice is just so much fun that even if you find it to be a little too indulgent and too jumbled to be effective, you’ll be hard pressed to not have at least have a good time watching it all unfold. It builds its world quickly and never gets stuck on trying to explain unnecessary sci-fi mumbo jumbo. I found myself laughing out loud quite a bit and relishing in the silly yet clever premise. Movies really can just be a good time, and Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice serves up a healthy dose of popcorn escapism.
Any film that opens with someone passionately and poorly singing Savoir Faire from Oliver & Company is a winner my book. And any film that lets Eliza Gonzalez take one step closer to her full potential has my vote. I’ve seen more episodes of the Gilmore Girls than I care to admit (all by proximity I assure you), so I got all the references and I never expected my knowledge to come in handy.
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