Ashby

This one was interesting. It felt like a movie about a shy kid. But he isn't shy. He has no problems talking to people, just seem to not feel a need to, or something. Story wise he's gets an assignment in class to write about some old guy. Which is practically placed next door. Since the trailer shows a fair bit, I allow myself to reveal that the old guy, is a former assassin for CIA.

Back to the kid. He loves football. Has a rig in the backyard. Watches matches at school. Where he meets a girl that has a big part in the game.

I really like the relationship between the kid, and the assassin. Old guy tells what he thinks, and doesn't sugarcoat it. The movie is to a big degree about not lying to yourself, even if you don't like the truth.

His relationship with the girl Emma Roberts is playing is slightly weird, but works well.

The movie doesn't really leave you thinking for the next week, but it's a good movie. Not great, but good.

Uneven Blend of "Coming of Age", and Crime Drama that in part is Quite Good, in others Not So Much. The whole Football Thing is a Complete, Clichéd Bore with Clunky and Unfunny Attempts at Humor and Machismo vs Intellect.

Mickey Rourke is OK if Not on His A-Game, and Emma Roberts is Fine and maybe the most Interesting Character that is Not a Retread. Matt Wolff is Irritating Most of the Time and this is Basically seen from His Point of View.

Worth a Watch but Be Prepared for some Cringe-Inducing Scenes that are just Embarrassing. When Rourke is on the Screen it is Better than Average, but Overall the Movie is Let-Down by some Unfunny Stuff, is All Over the Map in Terms of Story, and the Limitations of a Lead Teen Actor and a Director that can't Seem to Find a Tone that works Consistently.

I started watching this movie not expecting much, and got something unique for my efforts. While the story seems a little dated, the acting is actually quite good. Emma Roberts and Sara Silverman do excellent jobs in their supporting roles, while Mickey Rourke steals pretty much every scene he is in. It all makes for a pretty good watch.

What this is not is a movie about a spy. This is a movie about a kid (Nat Wolff) who needs a little old-school guidance to grow up, and gets it in spades when he makes himself a part of Ashby's (Rourke) life. This will not be one of those movies that people talk about in 20 years, but it does its job for today, so if you can't figure out what to watch tonight, giver it a shot. You might be surprised.

8/10 - Because the movie has heart, with a hint of attitude, yet doesn't trip over itself with the spy angle like most of these kinds of films would.

A bit of a lame and over sentimental story with no memorable moments. Definitely for the younger viewer. Rourke puts in reasonable performance given the poor script and good to see him again.

Ashby is a departure for Mickey Rourke, as he's been kind of slumming it in B movie junk for a few years. That changes here. Rourke's cowboy machismo and brooding vibe of danger is genius and takes on a whole new light when contrasted with the bright, idiosyncratic realm of the low key indie dramedy. It's a perfect concoction of ingredients, a melding of today's millennial teen angst with the battle scarred remnants of 1990's gritty pulp fare. Here Mickey plays Ashby Holt, an ex CIA assassin quietly residing in present day suburbia. He becomes aimlessly lost when he finds out he has terminal cancer, and is given three months to live. Next door, a high school kid (Nat Wolff) who's new in town tries to fit in with his peers, and make new friends while his incredibly insecure mother (Sarah Silverman♡) also tries to.. make new friends, I guess you could say. When he gets a class project to interview an 'old person', he spots Ashby, and reaches out. Ashby needs a driver, and the two strike an amiable enough relationship that's both tragically funny and a sly statement on the addled nature of youths today. Gradually Ashby becomes sort of a father figure to him, and the bond deepens. Nat also strikes up a romance with a peculiar girl played by Emma Roberts. She's one who usually plays the bitchy bimbo, but here wonderfully surprised me by giving the quirky outsider girl just the right amount of depth and empathy. You might just not recognize her, taking on the kind of oddball role her father Eric is famous for. There's scene stealing work from Kevin Dunn as well, playing a cantankerous football coach. The film briefly falls victim to 'quirky for the sake of quirky' indie tropes, and initially I was detached and wished it would bring it in more and smarten up. No one likes too much of that hipster bullshit lol. But it does, pulling back the curtains of glib comic inaccessibility to slow itself down and distill emotional, realistic work from its actors, the wonderful script a playground for them to explore. Rourke brings the best work he's done since The Wrestler, and is nothing short of sensational. When he's given the right material, he soars higher than most actors ever dream of reaching, and he finds the regret, sympathy, coldness and wounded spirit mentality of Ashby. He NEEDS more roles like this. Nat Wolff is a bit of a 'natterer' at first and got on my nerves a touch, but he grows on you, his naive sweetness a fascinating opposite to Rourke's weary burnout sadness. Fans of Rourke (he's my second favourite actor of all time) will find a gold mine in this one, and casual viewers should enjoy it's unassuming first half, and be moved by the down to earth second act that gives the characters the full circle arc they deserve. Well done.