Stand Up Guys

2012 "They don't make 'em like they used to."
6.4| 1h35m| R| en| More Info
Released: 14 December 2012 Released
Producted By: Lakeshore Entertainment
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
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After serving 28 years in prison for accidentally killing the son of a crime boss, newly paroled gangster Val reunites with his former partners in crime, Doc and Hirsch, for a night on the town. As the three men revisit old haunts, reflect on their glory days and try to make up for lost time, one wrestles with a terrible quandary: Doc has orders to kill Val, and time is running out for him to figure out a way out of his dilemma.

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Director

Fisher Stevens

Production Companies

Lakeshore Entertainment

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Stand Up Guys Audience Reviews

Hellen I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much
Rijndri Load of rubbish!!
Beanbioca As Good As It Gets
Sameer Callahan It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.
gluegerainer We see two ex-criminals coming to terms with the past after one of them has been released from prison, leading to a final stand against another criminal. The two male main characters are somewhat one-dimensional and only bearable because they are enacted by experienced and charismatic actors. All other characters are as complex as the teletubbies- lots of beautiful women, but don't mind their names, they are just decoration for Pacino and Walken- not to mention the most ridiculous plot twists: A woman, after having been violated by a horde of criminals and kept in the trunk of a car, enjoys a happy breakfast among our friendly criminals before getting back on the perps-- in perfect style, of course. The young female owner of a brothel is talked into sex with a senior who dies the same night from senile decay, and has of course the time of her live. Another women just learns that her father is dead and agrees smiling to an unofficial and spontaneous funeral. Walken's grandchild needs exactly 30 minutes to relate to her granddaddy and build the deepest possible relationship. The list goes own, you get the idea. This flick is just a waste of time.
elshikh4 So why you felt unsatisfied after the movie's end ? It's not a bad movie by all means. OK, I think I have the answer for that.The thing is that script is all about comedy. Yes, it's a black comedy, with potential character study. Also it's thrilling, with numbered hours before inevitable, very sad, climax. Add to that, a pretty neat twist in the end, where the meaning is "leave with a bang", or "die with your friend, instead of dying alone", or maybe "let's turn out sunset to sunrise". However, the real goal that this script wanted, and spared no effort to reach it.. was comedy ! Accordingly we have 2 problems. The first is that the comedy didn't hit a big mark. "Disgusting" is a fair word to describe most of it with scenes in a brothel, conversations about penises, bad erection sequence, nutcracker joke.. etc, etc, till it approaches being a nasty sex comedy. That was awful, let alone boring as well. Aside from that, you'd get freely obnoxious moments like snoring medicine bills (why not swallowing them ??). Disgusting comedy both ways !The second problem is the bad irony between the light and average at best material on one hand, and the super heavyweight names in the cast on the other. When you read names like Al Pacino, Christopher Walken and Alan Arkin, you have to think Oscar worthy, deepness behind the drama, seriousness along comedy. But sorry. No such luck. That's why it has that vibe of a very good TV movie, that should have had Danny Aiello, Chazz Palminteri, and Gary Busey as lead actors instead. Or – better – needed a wholly comic cast since the start, with better comic situations too.In terms of faulty script, I believe Walken isn't that stupid to kill Pacino in the bathroom with no silencer (too noisy, too bloody, it would be a mess !). Pacino didn't have to tell the detailed story of killing the mob boss's kid wrongly, since Walken was there anyway. The running gag of "kicking a**es, and chewing gum" is a frank proof of writing lacking. Originally, why to borrow form another movie, and I mean They Live (1988), and don't make a quirk by yourself ?? Plus, considering the ages of the movie's writer and director, Noah Haidle and Fisher Stevens respectively, that line could be a running gag between them since the late 1980s, not between those 2 lead characters who are much older (Pacino's character went to jail at least in 1984, namely 4 years before that movie was even made !).Yet, what irritates me more is the lost chances. While the movie had forces of nature as lead actors, it didn't try to invest them rightly. I thought that in the diner scene the 3 characters would have some talk about the old days, with exploring their fears, dreams, joys, and frustrations. However, what I had was "I want to do 2 girls in the same time", and before you know it Arkin drops dead ! Another lost chance when Pacino goes to confess in the church. I hoped to see the serious side of the movie there. But it turned out to be another attempt at comedy, which was done poorly by the way !The oldies on the soundtrack didn't make me at ease. Although they're wonderful, but the idea of old music on soundtracks became so trite lately. Why not thinking in something more innovative ?! Once, in 1949, a mystery English movie by the title of The Third Man, directed by a good guy named Carol Reed, went to use a cherry music by a nice gent named Anton Karas, for all the dark and edgy time of the movie. Hollywood misses, or maybe forgot, that revolutionary spirit, to a degree where their soundtracks became something sellable more than distinct. A safe move, though not that artistic, and really commonplace !Fisher Stevens did well in his directorial debut, but not very well like his performance as a comedian / actor I adore. Addison Timlin and Walken were the best of this movie. Walken, in specific, ate up Pacino all the way. Couple of lines, and I mean only couple of lines, fascinated me : "We die twice; once, when the breath leaves our body, and once when the last person we know says our name", and "They look like the sunrise but I was painting you". The painting was great. And I liked the last moment a lot, it's Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid-ish, but has its own character nevertheless. So all the time I expected much more, to find so little. No, I won't say the publicity fooled me. I'll say it's a waste to play a potentially powerful black comedy just for laughs. And it's worse than that already when those laughs aren't even there. And it's even worse and worse when you bring 3 of the finest actors to perform no fine comedy or drama. See, it's "bad ironies" not "bad irony" after all !
Jackson Booth-Millard I was instantly attracted to watching this film, when I read about it, because of the two leading actors, I didn't bother to read about the plot, but it was rated well also, so I looked forward to whatever it would be, directed by Fisher Stevens (star of Short Circuit). Basically Valentine, better known as Val (Al Pacino), has been released from serving, having served a 28 year sentence, his old friend and partner Doc (Christopher Walken) is there to pick him up and brings him to his apartment. Doc has been ordered by mob boss Claphands (Breaking Bad's Mark Margolis) to kill Val, Claphands blames Val for the death of his son during a robbery, Doc has until morning to kill him. Val wants make the most of his release, he and Doc visit a local brothel, run by Wendy (Lucy Punch), Val is unable to get it up, so he and Doc break into a drugstore to steal Viagra, they return to the brothel and Val spends time with a younger woman. Val next wants to party, so he and Doc go to a nightclub, Val has a slow dance with a younger woman, Val passes out snorting some pills, Doc sees this as an opportunity to kill him, instead he takes Val to hospital, the head nurse is Nina (The Good Wife's Julianna Margulies), the daughter of their old friend Hirsch (Alan Arkin). Afterwards Val and Doc go to a local diner, Val correctly guesses that Doc has been hired to kill him, Doc confesses he has until 10:00am to do the job, or else he will be killed as well. After stealing a black Dodge Challenger SRT8, they go to get Hirsch, who used to be their getaway driver, Hirsch takes the wheel, they avoid a highway chase with the police, Hirsch is asked what he wants to do, as a widow he chooses the brothel, he has not slept with anyone since the death of his wife. After leaving, the three men hear noises coming from inside the car's trunk, it is a naked woman named Sylvia (Vanessa Ferlito), she was kidnapped and abused, Val and Doc go to find the men responsible, shooting a couple of them, tying them up, and leaving them with Sylvia, who gets her revenge with a baseball bat. Back at the car, they find Hirsch dead, they break the news to Nina, she helps them bury him at the cemetery, then they return to the diner, Doc makes a phone call to Claphands, begging him to show Val mercy, since he has only a few years left, Claphands threatens his granddaughter Alex (Addison Timlin), a waitress at the diner, if he does not complete the job, she is unaware of their relation. Doc leaves a letter and his house keys in an envelope for Alex, the sun is rising, Doc stops in a church to give a priest his confession, and next he and Val break into a tailor shop for new suits, two of Claphands' thugs interrupt them, pestering Doc to finish the job, he and Val shoot them. Alex goes to Doc's apartment, Doc calls her there, he says she was the inspiration for his sunrise paintings, he has left a shoe box full of cash and the rent has been paid for a year in advance, now knowing their relation she calls him grandfather, he says he loves her and hangs up. In the end, Val and Doc stroll towards Claphands' warehouse, drawing pistols and opening fire, a firefight commences, Val and Doc fire at Claphands and his men, and are shot in the process, it is unclear how it ends, as the camera pans up to the sunrise, turning into one of Doc's paintings. Also starring Katheryn Winnick as Oxana and Bill Burr as Larry. Pacino and Walken make a terrific double act as best buddies and partners in crime, Arkin is just about as great in the short time he gets, it is a nice simple story of an old friendship tested by one of the men potentially forced to do a job he doesn't want to, they have an entire night of fun to recapture the good old days, and there is plenty of room for guns and gangsters, it is funny and very smartly written, a terrific crime comedy drama. It was nominated the Golden Globe for Best Original Song for "Not Running Anymore" by Jon Bon Jovi. Very good!
felix-wyderka I am the kind of person who likes structured movies where all the cinematic elements come together. "Stand up Guys" is not one of those movies but I enjoyed it even more because of that. There is only one word to describe this movie: FUN. It is one of those movies that doesn't require much thinking about the plot or what is going on, it simply wants the viewer to enjoy each scene by itself and enjoy the great performances by three amazing actors. In this movie the plot is not important. The sole purpose here is to watch three of the best actors of a generation have fun at their jobs. The acting by all Pacino, Walken and Arkin is simply so amazing that the plot is just there to have an ending to the movie although I personally did not want it to end. While I like to analyze and evaluate movies in detail there is simply not more to say to this picture than enjoy! Enjoy every minute because it will be over in a flash. In conclusion we can say that this movie is simply about the art of acting and having fun and three great actors showing off their talent. If I could i would give it an 8.5 rating but that is not possible so I have to stick with the 8 ;)