A new film from 20th Century Studios, directed by BenDavid Grabinski and now streaming on Hulu, apparently shouldn't exist. Ask anyone tuned into entertainment and pop culture. Seemingly every major studio film nowadays appears to be a franchise sequel based on some tried and true intellectual property. Except Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice does exist, and it feels like the kind of film cineastes lament no longer gets made in modern Hollywood.
The budget for Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice is not known, but it's likely bigger than perhaps it even appears to be on-screen. This is down to the music clearances for the many well-placed needle-drop moments in the movie. Some are there just for laughs, such as Dave Matthews Band's "Ants Marching" in a situation not usually ascribed to the jam-band legends. Others, such as an Oasis song, are deeply moving and rooted in character. Grabinski is the writer and director, but the look of this movie is equally down to veteran cinematographer Larry Fong, known for Lost, Batman v Superman,and other great films and shows. Yet what makes Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice work most of all is the cast.
The Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice Cast Is Crucial to Making the Premise and Film Work
In the production notes for the film, the decision to have Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice feature two iterations of Vince Vaughn's character is because of the actor. One is a classic Vaughn jagoff, while the other presents a softer, more enlightened version of the man. How well this works is likely down to how one feels about the character Vaughn plays in most movies. James Marsden as Quick-Draw Mike and Eiza González as Alice round out the core group of the film, and their scenes together are the most entertaining parts of the film and the story itself.
Appearances from film legends like Keith David, Stephen Root and Dolph Lundgren are also great moments. Yet almost none of their characters get the kind of development or grounded authenticity as the main four. Others, like Jimmy Tatro's Jimmy Boy or Arturo Castro's Dumbass Tony, are basically one-note criminal stereotypes. This is likely because the filmmakers don't want audiences to connect with them too deeply as people. Still, these actors (Tatro especially) steal every scene they're in and deliver a lot of great comedy.
While the film has some great, 21st Century-style action scenes, even these only work as well as they do because of the characters themselves. The way Nick and Mike talk to their former associates imbues these moments with humor, so much so that the action is almost the most "boring" part of the film. Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice shines through its dialogue and the evolution of its characters as the plot unfolds. The supporting stars, even when only in the film briefly, may leave some viewers wanting more from them. While this could be seen as a flaw, Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice is a story about its titular characters first and foremost. Everyone in the film serves their stories, — and like any good criminals in "The Organization," they do their job and don't overstay their welcome.
Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice Is a Wholly Original Genre Mash-Up
Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice is not a science fiction film, at least not at its core. Yet a concept like time-travel is like a dead rat in a salad. It's not intrinsic to the recipe, but because it's there, it becomes the thing everyone notices and worries about. The time machine — which is identified by the acronym C.L.A.R.E.N.C.E. for some reason — is the most significant device, both literally and as part of the plot. However, the film itself is not very concerned with establishing the rules of time travel, except for one very basic element of it that plays into the ending in a big way.
What the time machine mostly brings to the film is a sense of absurdity, which matches the comedy. Yet Vaughn and the other actors do a good job of keeping the film grounded in authentic emotional needs. Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice is partly a romantic comedy, given how Alice fits into this group. It's also a gangster film, considering everyone but her is involved with organized crime where murder is just part of the job. It's also a lesser known but equally classic kind of story: a film that takes place in a single night.
For reasons explained early on in the movie, the time travel element is not an infinite source of "do-overs." Mike, Alice and the Nicks have one chance to get things right to ensure that everyone gets their happy ending. Well, at least better endings than the characters in Gilmore Girls got, which is surprisingly relevant to Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice. A reference to this show actually serves as both a touching moment and the best joke from Keith David's character, Sosa the crime boss. Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice is a film that almost defies genre classification, and that's precisely what makes it the kind of movie audiences claim to yearn for in a world of franchises and reboots.
This Time-Traveler Movie Is Neither a Franchise nor a Sequel, But It Could Be
Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice is an action-comedy masterpiece, but should it become a franchise? One other reason this film feels like the kind that's rare in Hollywood these days is because it can serve as a one-off story with a clear ending. Yet, in its final moments, Grabinski does what any smart filmmaker with a cast like this does: He leaves the door open for a sequel, and one that could very easily tell a new story while still including every element that makes this one work. But should he? That's a question only the suits at 20th Century Studios (and the viewers themselves) can answer.
While there aren't really any movies just like Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice,it evokes the feeling of those 1990s and 2000s films that blend crime, action and comedy. It doesn't waste any time building up a mythology around the Organization or its characters. Well, except perhaps for Johnny Napalm, who was a real one. Nonetheless, Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice opens a window on this world for viewers and throws them right into the middle of a high-stakes, hilarious and heartfelt story. Like so many movies, it ends in a place where it seems like there's more story to tell, but the audience knows all that they need to if this ends up being a one-and-done — there aren't hanging threads.
In fairness to Grabinski, when Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice is over, viewers likely want more from these characters. The thing that inspires the tease at a sequel is something the film earns. Yet its charm may be in that this movie just gives audiences a look into these characters' lives for one really crazy night, and that might be enough. It's difficult enough to create a comedy about criminals that works as well as this one does. A sequel, whether it's Mike & Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice or Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice & Alice or any other combination might struggle to capture the charm, humor and beauty of the first film. Yet that's tomorrow's problem. Today, this movie is one that everyone should take a chance on at least once, because it feels like the kind of film the world doesn't get to enjoy as much as it used to.
Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice is now streaming on Hulu.
