B-A-B-Y Driver
*Warning, this contains spoilers*
‘Baby?’ ‘Yeah, B-A-B-Y, Baby’.
Firstly, I’d like to say a massive Happy 21st Birthday to my best friend. Albeit, its belated but it’s the thought that counts ;). As part of her birthday treat, we had the pleasure to go see Baby Driver. I can’t put into words how badly I’ve been wanting to see this since the trailer popped up on my Facebook feed a few months back. Thankfully for me, the film lived up to its expectations.
Now, for anyone thinking this film is going to be all about cars, I’m sorry to disappoint you by saying that cars are like 15% of the films content. Understandably, Baby is the driver (clues in the title, duuuhhh), but the content of this movie is soooooo much more! The music, the heists, the flirting, the flashbacks. Damn! I don’t even know where to start. Ansel Elgort portrays the main character, Baby, and even though he’s a dream to look at, he’s also a dream to see in action. He plays the ‘getaway driver’ during heists and robberies that are set up by his boss, Doc. He attempts to go straight when he meets Deborah, but naturally, that doesn’t go to plan. To be my cliché self, Baby must ‘face the music’ if he wants to leave the crooked lifestyle.
Now, the first scene had me falling in love with him instantaneously. I can guarantee that at least 90% of us have undergone the whole ‘acting out a music video’ whilst listening to a song in the car. Baby literally has every movement matching the beat. There were so many times where I wanted to jump out of my seat and dance with him. There was one scene in the film, where Baby is dancing through the street while he picks up coffees for the crooks he’d been working with, and I so wish I could do that in real life. I’ve been in so many instances where I’ve been walking down the street with an up-tempo song playing through my earphones and just wanting to break into dance.
Baby’s back story is one that I found hurtful. Loving and talented mother, bad tempered father, accident killing both. The flashbacks were perfectly in sync with the telling of the story. It added some spice to this character that barely spoke. It provided him with substance, a reason as to why this young man spends most his day with his earphones in and a reason behind his love for music.
The cast of this film is amazing. As mentioned, Ansel Elgort plays the lead. Jamie Foxx, Eiza Gonzalez and Jon Hamm play the main three ‘crooks’ to put it nicely. Kevin Spacey plays the big boss man and Lily James plays the love interest. Jamie Foxx in this film though. I mean, he somehow manages to play the fast talking, over enthusiastic crook and still have people love him. Like, how does he do it? And Kevin Spacey… At first, I was confused as to how someone as innocent and as young as Baby could be involved in such happenings. But Doc (Kevin Spacey’s character) reveals that Baby had high jacked his car that was full of expensive merc and he’s been paying him back for the last 10 years. The moment I really fall in love with Doc is when he tries to help Baby and Deborah escape. He refused when Baby asks, but when Deborah walks in, his one liner had my heart melting. ‘I was in love once’ (or something along those lines).
Darling and Buddy (Gonzalez and Hamm) were also a personal favourite. Everyone else just kind of drowned into the background for me when those two were on screen. They were that classic thug, hard core couple. Ones that you wouldn’t wanna mess with. It’s a shame that Darling had to die. I would’ve liked them two to drive to Las Vegas and get ‘married again’. And yes, if you haven’t guessed, Buddy dies too. I mean, that’s what he gets for trying to kill Baby.
Urghhhhhh, time to mention the romance. I’m not saying ‘urghhhhh’ in a disgusted way, it’s more of an over exaggerated ‘urghhhhhhh I love this’. Baby and Deborah, I mean at first, I was like ‘this is cringey’. But damn, I could feel the chemistry. The flirting was just- I mean, can someone come up to me in a diner and just talk about music? Cause I would love that. I loved the whole ‘your names baby? You have me beat, nearly all the songs are about you’. I mean, I’d have a pretty hard time finding a song with my name in it (Insert rolling eye emoji). The fact that she WAITS FOR HIM AFTER HE’S GONE TO PRISON like, that is true love right there.
(Click on the photo for the Spotify playlist)
I can’t talk about Baby Driver and not mention the soundtrack. Holy fuckkkkk the soundtrack! I have never heard a playlist so perfect. The fact that they included ‘Early’ is just a treat to my ears. And also, as a bonus treat, Ansel sang ‘Early’ when he was having a sing off with Jamie Foxx and James Corden on The Late Late Show. I highly recommend giving it a listen. He’s not just talented on the screen. Apparently, he’s also been blessed with a heavenly voice. Although the film may insinuate that it’s going to be about cars, I would say that the music is the main content of this film. It pulls it all together, and it makes this film one of the best that I have seen so far, this year.
Stay lovely x.
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