The Crew

Four mobsters have run into an enemy that they could never turn back: old age. Past their mafioso prime and living in a condo down in Miami Beach, these four friends just don’t know what to do with themselves anymore. But when faced with an eviction from their comfortable little abode, the four-some decide to wrangle up some of their old school techniques so that they could stay in Florida. Deed done, the crew fall back into their mobster ways, but not without many blunders, whoopsies and screwups.

A cute movie featuring some fun performances from its stars which gives plenty of nods to its primary source of inspiration, GOODFELLAS, but not enough full fledged humor to complete its intriguing premise. I was hoping that this movie would be funnier, more interesting and better paced, but the whole of the film provided for a few good laughs, an unnecessarily convoluted plot and way too many characters for its own good. For example, I loved Burt Reynolds’ character. The guy was a badass in the day and older now, still refusing to allow his age dictate his way of being. Unfortunately, we don’t get enough of the guy. A few cutesy scenes of him getting pissed at people and that’s that! I wanted more Burt!! (I never thought I’d ever hear myself say that). I also liked the Columbian drug lord, played delectably by Miguel Sandoval, a man who knows that he’s a walking cliché of a drug lord and even says so in the movie! Funny stuff.

But most of the humor in the film is just too sporadic and weak. I was waiting to laugh, but the laughs did not come, as the film involved itself in way too many shenanigans and characters. There was no real need to put in a shmaltzy “dad looking for his long-lost daughter” side-story (that’s another movie, fellas!) and waste more time with a couple of cops bickering about the mistakes that were made in their past relationship. The film is called THE CREW and I wished the filmmakers had stuck more with them, and tried to make the script funnier and tighter for the audience. But enough wishing! For what it was, the film did have a nice feel, some groovy “old school” tunes, solid performances from the top four, some funny jokes, plenty of cool camera tricks, and enough GOODFELLAS references to put a smile on my face (see below for specifics). On the downside, the film didn’t live up to its potential, slowed down at several points and didn’t provide enough “funny” for the money. In the end, I would say that this is the perfect “video movie” for those who appreciate the gangster genre, want to see Jennifer’s Tillies as a stripper and enjoy easy-going humor. In fact, the older generation will more than likely enjoy this one more than the rest of us, since many of the jokes are somewhat generational. And with the success of SPACE COWBOYS, who knows…this might just be the perfect timing!

(c) 2021 Berge Garabedian