Nicky (Will Smith) is drinking, alone, in a posh New York City hotel restaurant when a gorgeous blonde, Jess (Margot Robbie of The Wolf of Wall Street), begins having some trouble with a gentleman at the bar. She approaches Nicky and asks whether he’d mind pretending to be her boyfriend, which is kind of like asking anyone with a pulse -- man or woman, gay or straight – whether they’d mind pretending to be Margot Robbie’s boyfriend.
Robbie is gorgeous, and her chemistry with Smith is palpable. Small talk leads to flirtation, which leads to Jess’ hotel room, which leads to her “husband” bursting through the door and threatening Nicky’s life at gunpoint; at which point Nicky insists the jealous husband shoot him.
The husband, perplexed, doesn’t know how to handle the situation. Turns out, Nicky has known all along he was being conned, because he’s a con man, too.
Margot Robbie Has One Of The Most Popular Movies On Streaming
Nicky points out the flaws in Jess’ con, gives a few tips and leaves. It’s a telling scene because it telegraphs what the rest of the movie will be: enjoyable and aesthetically pleasing, but just a little too cute and convenient.
Nicky isn’t just a con man; he runs a multimillion-dollar network of cons. He employs freelancers to work major events, like the Super Bowl, and Jess wants a piece of the action. She also wants a piece of Nicky. And off we go.
These two like each other, but their lack of morality is this story’s major flaw. As great as “Focus” is to look at, and as charming as Smith and Robbie are, it was difficult to fully invest in either of them because, at their core, Nicky and Jess are despicably selfish people.
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There’s also a wild card here, and that’s Adrian Martinez. The journeyman actor, probably best known to most as the Cheesehead fan from the State Farm insurance commercials starring Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, steals scenes in “Focus” as Farhad, Nicky’s right-hand man and good friend. Martinez is flat out, R-rated funny.
“Focus” is, overall, entertaining and surprisingly unpredictable. Though when I say unpredictable, what I mean is some of the twists are imaginative. And when I say imaginative, I mean impossible. Even so, Focus provides some fun moments, though that lack of empathy for the main players ultimately makes it a less-than-satisfying experience.A silky high-end caper about a pair of good-looking con artists, “Focus” is a movie blessedly free of self-importance. It constructs a seductive fantasy world out of actual places (New Orleans, Buenos Aires) and milieus (Super Bowl skyboxes, Formula One racing) and generously grants V.I.P. access to the audience. You may be a few steps behind as the big scams unfold, but you feel more like a player than a sucker. The preposterousness of the story doesn’t seem like a rip-off, since the twists in the plot, for the most part, pay off nicely.
Mostly, it is fun to watch Will Smith and Margot Robbie, and to marvel at whatever divine or evolutionary miracle concentrated so much charisma in the two of them. Mr. Smith’s remarkable ears have never looked better, and his face wears the onset of middle age beautifully. His character, a veteran grifter named Nicky, is a smooth and confident operator, but with a Bogartian undertow of weary melancholy.
Margot Robbie Joins Will Smith In 'focus'
Which implies that Ms. Robbie, recently seen in “The Wolf of Wall Street, ” is Lauren Bacall. Close enough. Ms. Robbie, here playing a con-game newbie named Jess, has a gift for elegant sang-froid, but a greater one for allowing her composure to slip in interesting ways. Jess has a talent for picking pockets and bamboozling drunken men, but she needs Nicky’s guidance if she wants to rise above such petty schemes.
And so he becomes her mentor and her boss, hiring her onto a crew he has organized to harvest wallets, credit card numbers and jewelry in New Orleans. They also become lovers, which would probably raise some red flags if Nicky’s criminal enterprise had a human resources department. Professional ethics are a minor concern, though there is the usual talk about honor among thieves and some chin-scratching about whether a man and a woman who lie and cheat for a living can ever really love or trust each other.
But “Focus” is not the kind of movie that uses an underworld setting to explore the complexities of human behavior. It’s not quite Elmore Leonard for Dummies — maybe more like Carl Hiaasen for Shallow People. Which is no terrible thing. Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, who wrote and directed the film together, were also responsible for “Crazy, Stupid, Love.” Both movies are cleverly constructed and smart enough to wander away from their jigsaw-puzzle plots in pursuit of odd moods, comic riffs and half-baked subplots.
Will Smith Margot Robbie Bilder Und Fotos
At times the Nicky-Jess romance spins its wheels or grows a bit too languorous. Attractive as they are, their emotional drama is weightless. Thank goodness, then, for a squad of supporting players who exist partly to propel the plot but mostly to say and do funny, unpredictable things. There is BD Wong as an enthusiastic gambler Jess and Nicky meet at the Superdome; Adrian Martinez as Nicky’s sidekick; and Robert Taylor as an Australian racecar owner. Above all, there is Gerald McRaney as ... You know what, it doesn’t really matter. Mr. McRaney is a fount of grumpy hilarity, every other word out of his mouth a marvel of profane invention. Among the choicest words, quotable here only out of context, are “CERN, ” “macaque, ” “Twitter” and “taint.”
He provides some comic ballast, and Mr. Smith’s sad eyes and whispery line readings stand in for a missing dramatic core. The heart of the movie — its focus, if you want — is not love but luxury. It sells a vision of cool defined by beautiful stuff and the beautiful people who steal it. The brief sex scenes carry some heat, but far more voluptuous are the slow pans over rows of watches and stacks of cash. It’s a vision of the good life familiar to readers of GQ, with some decent writing sprinkled among the eye candy. You’re a sap if you fall for it all, of course. But maybe also if you don’t.
“Focus” is rated R (Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian). Major Dad! That was Major Dad using all those bad words!
Margot Robbie's Sexy New Role In Focus, Opposite Will Smith
A version of this article appears in print on , Section C, Page 6 of the New York edition with the headline: Graduating to the Big Con, After a Romantic Crash Course. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe
Which implies that Ms. Robbie, recently seen in “The Wolf of Wall Street, ” is Lauren Bacall. Close enough. Ms. Robbie, here playing a con-game newbie named Jess, has a gift for elegant sang-froid, but a greater one for allowing her composure to slip in interesting ways. Jess has a talent for picking pockets and bamboozling drunken men, but she needs Nicky’s guidance if she wants to rise above such petty schemes.
And so he becomes her mentor and her boss, hiring her onto a crew he has organized to harvest wallets, credit card numbers and jewelry in New Orleans. They also become lovers, which would probably raise some red flags if Nicky’s criminal enterprise had a human resources department. Professional ethics are a minor concern, though there is the usual talk about honor among thieves and some chin-scratching about whether a man and a woman who lie and cheat for a living can ever really love or trust each other.
But “Focus” is not the kind of movie that uses an underworld setting to explore the complexities of human behavior. It’s not quite Elmore Leonard for Dummies — maybe more like Carl Hiaasen for Shallow People. Which is no terrible thing. Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, who wrote and directed the film together, were also responsible for “Crazy, Stupid, Love.” Both movies are cleverly constructed and smart enough to wander away from their jigsaw-puzzle plots in pursuit of odd moods, comic riffs and half-baked subplots.
Will Smith Margot Robbie Bilder Und Fotos
At times the Nicky-Jess romance spins its wheels or grows a bit too languorous. Attractive as they are, their emotional drama is weightless. Thank goodness, then, for a squad of supporting players who exist partly to propel the plot but mostly to say and do funny, unpredictable things. There is BD Wong as an enthusiastic gambler Jess and Nicky meet at the Superdome; Adrian Martinez as Nicky’s sidekick; and Robert Taylor as an Australian racecar owner. Above all, there is Gerald McRaney as ... You know what, it doesn’t really matter. Mr. McRaney is a fount of grumpy hilarity, every other word out of his mouth a marvel of profane invention. Among the choicest words, quotable here only out of context, are “CERN, ” “macaque, ” “Twitter” and “taint.”
He provides some comic ballast, and Mr. Smith’s sad eyes and whispery line readings stand in for a missing dramatic core. The heart of the movie — its focus, if you want — is not love but luxury. It sells a vision of cool defined by beautiful stuff and the beautiful people who steal it. The brief sex scenes carry some heat, but far more voluptuous are the slow pans over rows of watches and stacks of cash. It’s a vision of the good life familiar to readers of GQ, with some decent writing sprinkled among the eye candy. You’re a sap if you fall for it all, of course. But maybe also if you don’t.
“Focus” is rated R (Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian). Major Dad! That was Major Dad using all those bad words!
Margot Robbie's Sexy New Role In Focus, Opposite Will Smith
A version of this article appears in print on , Section C, Page 6 of the New York edition with the headline: Graduating to the Big Con, After a Romantic Crash Course. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe
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