The Bad Guys (2022) Universal/Action-Comedy RT: 100 minutes Rated PG (action, rude humor) Director: Pierre Perifel Screenplay: Etan Cohen Music: Daniel Pemberton Release date: April 22, 2022 (US) Cast: Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Anthony Ramos, Craig Robinson, Awkwafina, Richard Ayoade, Zazie Beetz, Alex Borstein, Lilly Singh. Box Office: $97.2M (US)/$250.4M (World)
Rating: ***
So I went into The Bad Guys thinking it was going to be just another kiddie computer-animated movie featuring anthropomorphic animals a la Madagascar and Zootopia. I’m not going to ask how many of these can they make since you and I already know the answer. I figured it would be cute at best and insufferable at worst. I never expected it would actually be any good. Much to my surprise, that’s exactly the case here.
For me, the first sign that The Bad Guys wasn’t going to be quite what I expected was the first scene. I couldn’t believe it. It was a direct reference to Quentin Tarantino’s masterpiece Pulp Fiction. Two of the main characters, Mr. Wolf (Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) and Mr. Snake (Maron, Joker), are sitting at a booth in a diner. It’s two friends having a conversation complete with the requisite jabs and needling. One subject that comes up is eating guinea pig. After a few minutes, they get up and leave to commit a crime. Okay, that part is straight out of Reservoir Dogs, but you get the point.
After casually robbing the bank across the street, they lead police on a high-speed chase (played to a jazzy Lalo Schifrin-esque score) while Wolf introduces us to the rest of the gang; master of disguise Mr. Shark (Robinson, Hot Tub Time Machine), hacker Ms. Tarantula (Awkwafina, Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) and the muscle of the bunch Mr. Piranha (Ramos, In the Heights).
“The Bad Guys”, as they’re known, are a feared criminal collective notorious for their brazen thefts of valuable objects and flagrant disregard for the law. Their leader Mr. Wolf is swagger personified. Charismatic and cool, he’s the lupine version of Danny Ocean (the George Clooney one). Obviously, this detail will fly right over the heads of little viewers, but that’s a large part of the unique charm of The Bad Guys. It’s surprisingly sophisticated for a movie ostensibly aimed at children. They’ll love it, no doubt. It’s colorful, energetic, funny and exciting. It’s accessible without being condescending. Save for a few fart jokes, it’s not a childish affair.
It breaks down like this. The Bad Guys is a heist flick and a remarkably hip one at that. The gang sets out to steal The Golden Dolphin Award before it’s presented to philanthropic guinea pig Professor Marmalade (Ayoade, the IT Crowd) at a gala ceremony. While waiting to strike, Wolf inadvertently saves an old lady’s life while trying to rob her. She praises him for his good deed; it makes his tail wag. He’s never felt this way before. Is this what it’s like to be a good guy? This is where he begins to question his life choices.
Predictably, the heist goes south and the whole gang is arrested. Wolf convinces Governor Foxington (Beetz, Joker) to allow Marmalade to reform them, turn them into good guys. It’s just a ploy, of course. They’re just going to play along until the opportunity arises to try again to steal the award. What they don’t know is their rodent mentor has nefarious plans of his own.
Based on the children’s book series by Aaron Blabey, The Bad Guys is the feature film directorial debut of animator Pierre Perifel whose credits include Monsters vs. Aliens, Shrek Forever After and all three Kung Fu Panda movies. From the start, you can tell he has a clear idea of what he wants to do and how he wants to do it. His intention, as I see it, is to deliver a CA movie that’s not like the hundreds of others that came before it without alienating either audience- i.e. kids and adults. It’s cute, but not overly so. It’s funny, but not silly (until the end). It has plenty of action and excitement. The animation, largely inspired by Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, is lively and colorful. Perifel even sees fit to lay out the entire opening sequence in one long, single take.
Perifel draws us into the criminal underworld of the animal kingdom by way of stylish characters with distinct personalities. Snake is a sarcastic sort with a cranky exterior that’s just a façade. Shark is the enthusiastic one who loves to get into character. Never mind that it’s always obvious he’s a great white shark. Tarantula, resourceful and speedy, shows why it’s useful for a hacker to have eight arms. Piranha, all fight and flatulence, is a scrappy little fish. Perifel has lined up an incredible roster of talent give voice to the characters. Each and every one does a great job, especially Awkwafina who I just love. Will somebody please cast her as the lead in a comedy?
The Bad Guys gets a little ridiculous near the end with the introduction of a nemesis that feels more James Bond than Elmore Leonard. His plan is pure kiddie movie nonsense, but it’s fine. Things have been so good to this point, it earns the right to play directly to the kindergarten crowd in the finale. In addition, it has a positive message about second chances and redemption. Well, you knew there had to be one of those in there somewhere. Again, it’s fine. The Bad Guys works. I found it very entertaining. I love the whole hip vibe it has going. It makes for agreeable and cool entertainment.
