Any Day Now: A Heist Comedy That Misses the Mark

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In an alternate tale, “Any Day Now” presents a scenario where a meek individual is coerced into participating in a daring art theft from Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, an incident that remains unsolved to this day. The story attempts to elicit sympathy and support for the passive protagonist as he is manipulated throughout. However, the black comedy element falls flat, and the narrative is riddled with plot inconsistencies large enough to accommodate a truck.

In his jail cell, a self-assured man named Marty Lyons (Paul Guilfoyle) faces two irate police officers who suspect him of masterminding a museum heist. With a touch of sarcasm, Marty claims he wishes he’d actually come up with the idea. The narrative then shifts to an unfortunate fellow called Steve (Taylor Gray), who is pursued into a restaurant and soon falls into the hands of Albert (Thomas Philip O’Neill), a debt-collector drug dealer. Steve owes Albert five thousand dollars, and Albert warns him that if he doesn’t pay up soon, he’ll receive more than just a stern reprimand.

Pushover Steve

Steve goes back to the untidy flat he resides with Danny (Armando Rivera), the frontman of their struggling rock group. Sarah (Alexandra Templer), Danny’s charming yet manipulative partner, had consumed all of Steve’s food and then sluggishly retreated into bed. Steve timidly requests the money they owe him, as he has been covering the bills for quite some time now and lent funds to sustain their partying lifestyle.

Marty is aware that Steve works as a night security guard at the museum, where he often sneaks vending machine snacks and engages in a frivolous wager with a coworker to bypass alarm sensors. The next day finds Steve dejected at a neighborhood pub when a stranger propositions him. Marty suggests that Steve take a drive with him.

The issue is that Steve seems stuck in life, often playing a supporting role to Danny, while harboring feelings for Sarah who shows no interest in a timid rhythm guitarist like him. Marty, who is the film’s key character, soon realizes that Steve can easily be manipulated. Although he found it simple to push Steve into criminal activities, Marty isn’t just about command and control. He aims to demonstrate to Steve how everyone exploits him, and why it would benefit him to follow through with the scheme.

Paul Guilfoyle Leads the Heist

The movie Any Day Now deviates from its course with the introduction of Marty’s group early on. These individuals collectively possess barely enough intelligence for one person. Their juvenile pranks and boisterous fraternity behavior culminate in a bizarre scene intended to be comical, but instead feels uncomfortable and distasteful. Steve is unwillingly drafted into this group, serving as both a member and an unofficial mascot as the scheming intensifies. Marty aims to coax Steve out of his shell, yet he remains menacing, acting as a constant reminder not to cross or deceive him.

In a story with many logistical discrepancies, Any Day Now seems to devote scant attention to the intricate planning process. Marty appears to have been able to mobilize his team and pull off a museum heist at any given moment, which significantly weakens the plot’s credibility. Steve, who is suspected of being an insider, might as well have been sneaking into the museum like naughty kids grabbing cookies from the jar after bedtime – this level of security appears to be laughably lax. However, the humor falls short because the execution of the heist feels too easy and unchallenging, lacking the necessary tension and difficulty that would make it engaging.

In the initial act, Eric Aronson, the writer/director of “Mordecai”, experiments with unconventional camera angles. However, he later discards this technique altogether. Characters communicate with each other by addressing the camera directly, without any other elements in the shot. The dialogue exchanges resemble a rapid ping-pong match due to Aronson’s frequent cuts back and forth. This method is often used to engage the audience by breaking the fourth wall. Unfortunately, it seems unusual and inconsistent with the film’s intended tone.

81-Minute Runtime Mimics the Crime but Isn’t Enough Time

The secondary characters in the movie seem excessively one-dimensional and stereotyped. Danny and Sarah appear primarily as con artists targeting Steve, while Marty’s underlings are either irrationally insane or uncommonly incompetent. Initially, their antics offer some amusement, but it quickly becomes tiresome when these juvenile actions have no bearing on the main plot development. It is hard to believe that they were once proficient criminals.

In order to provide a richer experience for viewers, Aronson should have extended the exposition throughout the movie. The runtime of just an hour and twenty-one minutes mirrors the actual duration of the heist. An additional 15 minutes could have developed the characters more deeply.

Any Day Now offers Paul Guilfoyle, a veteran actor with half a century in Hollywood, a prominent leading role that truly showcases his talent. Any Day Now boasts production by Mark Donadio, Dana Scott, and Emily Sheehan and will be hitting theaters on March 21st. To locate nearby theaters and purchase tickets, visit their website here.

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2025-03-21 15:03