Too much of everything

Load of rubbish!!

It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

GOING IN STYLE is a sweet little film starring George Burns, Art Carney, and Lee Strasberg as a trio of oldsters struggling to survive on their pension money. They hit upon the idea of robbing a bank. What could go wrong? Filled with humor and heart and terrific performances. The Las Vegas scenes are a hoot. Burns and Carney especially deserved awards but the film got no attention until a remake surfaced in 2017. Despite its cast, the film forgot the heart. Anyway, the 1979 film is a jewel. The amazing Burns was 83. When he met the 27-year-old director Martin Brest, he quipped, "I have neckties older than you." Burns and Carney had already won their Oscars by the time this was made. The scene where Burns goes thru his old box of photos (one shows him and Gracie Allen from the old days) is a killer.

The depiction of daily life in an apartment shared by elderly men on Social Security, in a city park filled with children playing on structures covered with graffiti and the streets and subways make this an American classic. Boredom and low expectations had become a part of life in the New York/New Jersey urban area for the characters in the film as well as for the era in the 70's, and this is the background depicted in every scene of "Going in Style." The plot has a couple of minor holes, the only one worth mentioning is that there's really no indication at all as to how the police figured out who to pursue, but the foundation of this film is the absolutely remarkable performance by George Burns, who proved that he was not only a comedian and a beloved personality but a true actor. His performance is deeply emotional and entirely convincing. It really is a masterful performance in every way. He had won an Oscar for the not so good "The Sunshine Boys," so the Academy voters had likely figured that he had already been honored, but surely he should have been handed another Oscar for "Going in Style." This film is a must-see.

That is the quality imbued in this film by Brest, through the writing and direction. It would have been so easy to make a caper film, or a male-bonding buddy picture, but Brest does it the hard way so that we care about the characters and not the story. He fills each role with actors who look real, not pretty, like Charles Hallahan as Pete. He looks like someone who's worked all his life, not a person sent down by central casting.And he is unafraid to let silence play a roll. How many directors would find 'suitable' music to waft in and out of the soundtrack as the three amigos occupy their bench? Here they sit in blessed silence until we wonder who will speak next, since Willie does not seem to want to open his mouth. When they get to Vegas, it would be so easy to do quick cuts of their winning streak with appropriate music blasting, but Brest stretches the scene so that we are not sure if they will keep their gains.Any sentiment comes hard earned, like watching Joe stumbling around the apartment after the death of Willie, finding his own album of photographs and reflecting, only to have nature spoil the mood.

A terrific gem of a film.Three elderly men are so bored with their lives that they rob a bank and actually get away with it for a while.The trio are all masterfully played by Art Carney, Lee Strasberg and George Burns.With the robbery behind them, it's time for vacation in flashy Las Vegas. Coming back to face the ultimate music, 2 of our "heroes" pass on and leave the rest of the story and the loot to the survivor.A sad but extremely effective commentary on retirement and old age. If you're contemplating retirement, miss this film until you know how you're going to spend your days.