Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice - Review

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

TIME travel can be a hokey concept at the best of times and is probably best delivered with a healthy dose of comedy. Hence, writer-director BenDavid Grabinski’s Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice attempts to gain mileage by keeping things light.

It also boasts a decent cast with the trio of leads - Vince Vaughn, James Marsden and Eiza Gonzalez - ably supported by an ensemble that extends to Stephen Root, Keith David, Dolph Ludgren and Jimmy Tatro.

The premise also boasts some potential, following Vaughn’s gangster Nick as he travels back in time to try and persuade his former self not to stitch up his criminal colleague Mike (Marsden) as a rat, responsible for sending his boss’ son to prison.

Mike is having an affair with Nick’s current girlfriend (Gonzalez) - but then Nick is also sleeping around, contributing to a loveless marriage.

Hot on their trail, meanwhile, is a notorious hitman known as The Baron, who also doubles as a cannibal.

If that sounds like a weird swing, then this is something that Grabinski’s film likes to do a lot of the time, throwing in quirky asides and left field attempts at comedy that interrupt momentum more than they serve it.

It means that the film frustrates and baffles as much as it entertains, eventually creating an odd experience that feels more like an honourable failure than an inspired success.

On the plus side, there are some solid action sequences with a John Wick inspired climax allowing Marsden a deserved action showcase, as well as plenty for the two Vaughn’s to do.

And there are some decent needle drops to augment some of these set pieces (Chemical Brothers, Oasis), adding to the heightened sense of style.

But there are one too many odd choices that don’t make any sense (such as a recurring cat called Kingpin and repeated references to The Gilmore Girls).

Likewise, the dialogue can often feel clumsy and overly forced - as in repeated references to Tatro’s character’s dick and inability to perform, or an extended exchange between Vaughn and a garage cashier about sugar free candy (which outstays its welcome).

This ends up doing a disservice to the cast, who share a nice chemistry even though none are allowed to realise the potential of their characters.

Vaughn, in particular, feels short changed given he has two roles - both of which he plays with equal parts menace and melancholy. He reigns in his more comedic inclinations to offer a character who is all too aware of his own failings and desperate to make amends, lending extra weight to a final moment that is nicely played until a last minute revelation threatens to undo that good work.

SPOILER: It seems disingenuous to have given Vaughn a big death scene, only to cave Marsden and Gonzalez reveal the presence of a second fine machine.

But therein lies another of the film’s big problems: for every dramatic moment or inventive set piece, there’s something that comes along to undermine what’s just happened. The film never really decides what it wants to be.

Hence, while enjoyable enough while it lasts, Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice fades all too quickly from the memory.

Certificate: 15

Running time: 1hr 48mins