Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy costar in this tepid heist comedy, which has been gestating since 2005 but didn’t really take shape until after the Bernard Madoff scandal four years later. Stiller is the obsequious manager of a Manhattan luxury hotel who has entrusted his employee pension fund to slimy investment broker and hotel resident Alan Alda; after the latter is charged with securities fraud and the hotel workers discover they’ve lost their retirement savings, the manager assembles a crew of down-and-outers (Casey Affleck, Matthew Broderick, Michael Peña, Gabourey Sidibe) and recruits two-bit criminal Murphy to help them burglarize Alda’s unit for hidden cash. Highly recommended if you want to watch an assortment of rich movie stars feel your pain. Brett Ratner (Rush Hour and its sequels) directed; with Tea Leoni and Judd Hirsch.
Tower Heist
PG-13 • 1 hour 45 min • 2011