The Bad Guys

The Bad Guys
Starring Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Awkwafina, Craig Robinson
Directed by Pierre Perifel

When you think of the worst animals in the animal kingdom, certain ones spring to mind instantly: sharks, spiders, snakes, piranhas, wolves. Of course, being animals, they have no way to defend themselves or prove themselves otherwise, and I doubt they really care about what people think about them - except when they're hunted down for their preconceived notions of evil (no matter what, though, I'll always consider spiders evil and will either kill them or have someone else kill them at a moment's notice). While we often compare these creatures to being evil, we also tend to associate certain people with being evil as well, strictly due to their appearance. Who would you rather run into in a dark alley: an elderly old woman, or a tatted-up muscle man? Based on appearances, you'd probably want to run into the elderly woman because there's a better chance that she's not a violent person - or at least someone you could take in a fight, as compared to the tatted-up muscle man. But the elderly woman is actually a cunning serial killer, and the muscle man is a kindly flower shop owner. See how appearances can be deceiving? This is the main underlying point of "The Bad Guys," weaved through a fun "Ocean's Eleven" style heist that'll help children not judge a book by its cover.

Mr. Wolf (Sam Rockwell) is a wolf who leads his gang of " Bad Guys" - Mr. Snake (Marc Maron), Ms. Tarantula (Awkwafina), Mr. Shark (Craig Robinson), and Mr. Piranha (Anthony Ramos) - in stealing anything and everything they can get their greedy little paws (or fins, or legs, or slithery tails) on. Mr. Wolf rightfully deduces that they're the bad guys strictly for their appearance, as they're feared by the general populous wherever they go, even if they're just having a harmless dinner or a fun day at the beach. All is going well for the group until the new governor, Diane Foxington (Zazie Beetz), insults them on camera, leading Mr. Wolf to commit something he'd never do - a personal vendetta heist. He plans on stealing the Golden Dolphin (an award given to a kindly philanthropist) before it's given to Professor Rupert Marmalade (Richard Ayoade). During the heist, however, Mr. Wolf inadvertently saves an old woman from tripping as he's trying to rob her, and she tells him that he's a good boy, leading his tail to wag, and giving him a feeling he never felt before.

The robbery goes array and the group is arrested, but Mr. Wolf - secretly wanting to be a good boy - convinces the governor and Marmalade to let them go if they agree to go "good" under Marmalade's tutelage, but as he starts to become more respected, Mr. Wolf faces a conundrum - be the good boy he wants to be, or stay with his lifelong friends who don't feel like wanting to be good.

"The Bad Guys" is obviously not geared for someone of my stature in life, as I'm not a kid, but there's some kids films out there that are amazing for adults as well. This isn't one of them, but it's not that bad either, as it's entertaining enough for adults to enjoy, but without that certain special "something" to make it an absolute hit. It's middle-of-the-road, a safe family friendly adventure filled with tongue-in-cheek humor that comes so quickly that it'll go over kids' heads, but adults will understand the meaning of them. However, more importantly, the film teaches valuable lessons for kids in a simplistic way.

That lesson is not judging a book by its cover. As mentioned earlier, the animals used in "The Bad Guys" wasn't accidental - we think of wolves, snakes, spiders, sharks, and piranhas as evil due to their appearance and their preconceived notions ("a wolf in sheep's clothing"). Even though not all of them are bad, we group them all as inherently bad due to what we think of them. This movie moves that needle forward, as the movie starts with them being bad because "it's their nature," but as it progresses they learn the values of being good, and, more importantly, others see the good in them as well. We might think someone is bad strictly on their appearance, but deep down they could be the sweetest, nicest person ever - but they never get the chance to prove themselves because of our inherent fears of them.

This concept is even found in the Bible, as it says in 1 Samuel 16:7 - "people look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." This is a verse that many Christians should follow (but unfortunately many are more geared to follow a particular political ideology rather than what the red letters say), and also touches on how we should really look at one another: as the Lord does. *Bible rant over.*

The vocal performances are spot on, with Sam Rockwell channeling his real-life buddy George Clooney as the suave, sophisticated, and charming Mr. Wolf. Marc Maron plays Mr. Snake as a sarcastic loner who claims he doesn't need friends (but does). Awkwafina shines as the sarcastic expert hacker Ms. Tarantula (perfect for a creature with eight legs), while Craig Robinson and Anthony Ramos utilize their comedic timing as Mr. Shark (hilariously the "master of disguise," even though every disguise points to the fact that he's obviously a shark) and Mr. Piranha (a feisty, crazy fish with a petulance for flatulence). You get a deep connection with these characters and their years-long friendship that makes them all endearing in their own right. 

The message is told through a fun, fast-paced heist caper akin to "Ocean's Eleven," where the direct comparisons between Mr. Wolf and George Clooney in the film are intentional, numerous, and blatant (there's even a moment where they mention Wolf is going "full Clooney"). This caper is enjoyable, filled with tension and excitement, and most importantly humor mixed with dazzling animation and a fast-paced script. Sadly the film drags a bit in the middle, and the ending itself doesn't really necessarily stick as it should, but it's still an enjoyable film adults won't mind sitting through with their kids - just not repeatedly.

The Score: B+