The Bad Guys (2022) - Review

 

More movies than we’re likely aware use the phrase “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” and are proud of it. Sometimes it's not really about being “original” rather than providing the right cocktail of familiar elements to make something refreshing and entertaining, if not all-out new. Dreamworks Animation’s latest film, the directorial debut of French animator Pierre Perifel, “The Bad Guys (2022)” certainly isn’t shy about the films its riffing on, but that doesn’t matter when the adventure and general vibe of the film is just so much fun.

Following a group of con-artists and thieves made up of Mr. Wolf, voiced by Sam Rockwell (“Confessions of a Dangerous Mind,” “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”), Mr. Shark, voiced by Craig Robinson (“The Office,” “Hot Tub Time Machine”), Miss Tarantula, voiced by Awkwafina (“Crazy Rich Asians,” “The Farewell”), Mr. Snake, voiced by Marc Maron (“GLOW,” “Maron”), and Mr. Piranha, voiced by Anthony Ramos (“In the Heights,” “She’s Gotta Have It (2017)”), the film shows their attempts to be good so as to trick Mayor Foxington, voiced by Zazie Beetz (“Deadpool 2,” “Atlanta”) and Professor Marmalade, voiced by Richard Ayoade (“The Watch,” “The IT Crowd”), into thinking they’ve turned over a new leaf whilst planning their biggest heist yet.

There are splashes of the “Oceans” movies, “Reservoir Dogs,” “Pulp Fiction,”  as well as the filmography of Guy Ritchie and Luc Besson. It’s clear that this is a film that loves the heist/crime genre, and it wears this distinction proudly. It’s a nice change of pace as Perifel and write Etan Cohen (“Men in Black 3,” “Tropic Thunder”) don’t dumb the genre down for kiddie audiences. Sure, the goals and scope are different, but there’s just as much fun planning and heisting as there is in the average “Oceans”-type film.

It’s the vocal performances that really take the cake though. Every cast member has an extremely naturalistic styling to their deliveries, making it all feel like any other kind of film. So often Hollywood animated films have casts full of big-name celebrities who phone their performances in, but that isn’t the case here. There’s some genuine nuance to these performances, with Beetz and Rockwell in particular absolutely knocking it out of the park.

The vocal performances also go a long way in helping the film establish its tone and voice. It’s hard to take this phrasing seriously, but the film has a genuine swagger to everything. The way its plot flows, the vocal performances, the slick animation, the way everything moves. It’s such a confident film, and little touches like the fact that the opening credits call it “A Caper by Dreamworks Animation Studios” and that the closing credits don’t say “voiced by”, instead stating “Sam Rockwell played Mr. Wolf” sell the very particular vibe of the entire film. It’s practically bleeding energy and enthusiasm at every frame, but not in a hyperactive way. It’s all a style that comes from a love of the type of film its imitating, and it even boils down to an incredible score from Daniel Pemberton (“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” “The Trial of the Chicago 7”) that makes sure everything thumps and beats in harmony.

Visually, its all so incredibly slick, with colors that pop at every turn and wonderful stylistic touches throughout. Motion lines and exaggerated movements are abound here, with Perifel’s background in French animation extremely apparent. The way the humans and cops jump and run, the exaggerated nature of the yelling and designs, and the two-dimensional work done for characters’ eyes and motion lines; it's just one of the most gorgeous looking and stylized films Dreamworks has ever put out.

Despite how much it loves the heist genre, that does come with a cost. The plot isn’t anything particularly special, moving through much of the same motions of other family animated films and heist movies of the past two decades. It’s not exactly full of surprises, but the performances, visual style, and general swagger and energy of the adventure helps to overcome the potential sameness or safeness that the plot could otherwise have.

What “The Bad Guys (2022)” brings to the table is a genuine love of the heist film genre that bleeds into every other aspect of the film. The animation, voice performances, music, the entire film’s style has such an infectious energy that it practically dares you not to have a good time or smile the entire way through and it goes a long way towards propping up its fairly cliched story line. It doesn’t fix it, but it helps to excuse it, as you’ll be too engrossed in the swagger that the film radiates to care. 4/5