I’d be surprised if there were an idea that director BenDavid Grabinski said “no” to while crafting his time travel gangster comedy film, “Mike Nick & Nick & Nick & Alice.” That the film needs to be qualified with those descriptors gives you a sense of its overstuffed nature, which is fitting given that it loses intrigue the more its plot machinations sputter along. One of the keys to executing a high-concept premise is knowing when to show restraint, when to say no to an impulse for something aesthetically “cool” if it means crafting a more compelling narrative. That subtlety is in frustratingly short supply here.
To Grabinski’s – who also wrote the script – credit, for a movie involving a time machine, it’s easy to follow, and the rules are established in a way that amplifies entertainment rather than one that seeks to muddle comprehension. Nick (Vince Vaughn), a gangster and enforcer for mob boss Sosa (Keith David), recruits Mike (James Marsden) for one final task before the latter leaves the organization for good. Unbeknownst to Nick, Mike is having an affair with Alice (Eiza González), who is married to Nick.
Mike and Nick’s excursion brings them face-to-face with another Nick. The Nick who recruited Mike then reveals himself to be from the future, and that unless he, Mike, Alice and present Nick work together, Mike will be killed by Sosa, who wrongly believes Mike framed his son, Jimmy Boy (Jimmy Tatro), which led to Jimmy’s imprisonment.
With the annoying science out of the way and the narrative stakes established, “Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice” morphs into something resembling more of an intimate character drama, as hidden jealousy and frustration come to the surface between its tetrad. We learn that Nick is an unfaithful, vengeful man, whose love for Alice evaporated a long time ago, while Alice shares her connection to the existence of the time machine, being friends with the inventor, Symon (Ben Schwartz). These interpersonal conversations are well-performed, but rather than being enlivening, they feel onerous to get through, as if the script is stalling for time before it can deliver an action set piece.
Vaughn’s deadpan delivery complements Marsden’s animated performance, and the film is undeniably at its best when the two bicker and argue about the logistics of their plan or try to bury the hatchet of past grievances. It never amounts to any deeper insight into these characters, nor does it harbor a sense of empathy. It’s particularly disappointing to see a performer like Gonzalez, who made a meal out of a smaller role in the festival’s “I Love Boosters,” be reduced to a character who might as well have been named “Generic Love Interest 1.” She’s incapable of delivering a false note of performance, but the script never enables her to rise above being the object of desire that the two men battle over.
Other cast members like Sosa and Jimmy Boy leave a more lasting impression, if only because their smaller scenes enable them to pack a greater punch. There’s a sequence where Sosa has a heart-to-heart conversation about Jimmy Boy’s true parentage that might be the funniest scene of the movie, if only because both comedians know when to lean in and out of a bit and understand the ways a quiet reaction can be funnier than a grandiose one.
Still, there’s an appeal to the film’s highly stylized shootouts and set-ups that make it easy to love. It’s fascinating to watch how Grabinski and cinematographer Larry Fong capture how the two Nicks interact. There’s some clever obfuscation, but while another film might have found an excuse for the two Nicks to spend as little time together as possible, the film does not shy away from showing the conflict of how present and future versions of oneself literally war with one another.
Future Nick lacks the raw power of present Nick, but present Nick is someone who lets his emotions take the driver’s seat in his life. It’s never too late to learn lessons, even from yourself, and it comes together in a flashy third-act set piece reminiscent of the gun battle in the first “The Matrix” film, albeit without the sense of style or tactical sense of place that made that scene so iconic.
Grabinski directs “Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice” as if it’s the last creative work he’ll be able to make, and the result is a film that, for all of its busyness and grandeur, feels disjointed and shallow. A key example of this comes in a scene where the cast, apropos of nothing, have a full-on, spoiler-filled discussion about “Gilmore Girls” before the climactic final battle. For fans of the show or even those with a passing knowledge of its characters, this is a humorous referential moment, but it goes on a beat too long for comfort. It feels less like a meta moment that grooves with the grammar of the film, and more like a director who simply wanted to air his thoughts about the show on main.
There’s little distance between the director’s unfiltered sensibilities and biases and what we see on-screen, which makes the film’s ambition commendable, but no more entertaining. It’s generally correct math that when your movie tries to be two or more movies, you end up with about half of a good movie. While the half is lovingly crafted and entertaining, it’s not enough to overcome a story that feels stuck in a lifeless loop of its own.
“Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice” streams March 27 exclusively on Hulu.
