The heist movie is as old as Hollywood itself, but A Bad Idea Gone Wrong manages to imbue the genre with loads of humor while still keeping the tension high.
Marlon (Matt Jones) and Leo (Will Rogers) are a pair of schlubs who’ve got a bad idea: engage in felony robbery. After coming up with the “perfect” target, the two find themselves navigating their way around a home in a gated community with no good exit strategy. Along the way, they run into Darcy, (Eleanore Pienta) a spunky foil to their good-hearted criminality.
It is this seamless addition of a third major cast member that is the most impressive feat director Jason Headley pulls off. Jones brings to bear all the humor we saw in his character Badger on Breaking Bad, and Rogers is a great balance to his restrained maniac. When Pienta enters the scene deep into the film, she more than holds her own. The result is a buddy movie that morphs into a triple threat.
Staging the action in a McMansion turns out to be brilliant. The banality of “The 1%” is on display at every turn. Granite counter tops, numerous bathrooms, and a studio-apartment sized closet are great settings for this kind of humor.
In the end, A Bad Idea Gone Wrong becomes somewhat of a love story, exploring both loss and the ability for it to be found anew. This really only works because Rogers possesses a sweetness that makes his naïveté believable. It doesn’t hurt that Pienta can open up her hard, sarcastic shell to reveal a similarly generous soul.
A Bad Idea Gone Wrong is a well-crafted ensemble piece that manages to keep its humorous edge throughout. No small feat. Audiences will enjoy watching Jones, Rogers, and Pienta interact, and the story will keep them engaged until the last frame.
