George Clooney and Brad Pitt star as two of New York’s most accomplished “fixers” in the new crime comedy Wolfs. Directed by Jon Watts, who previously worked on the Spider-Man franchise, the film sees the aging stars play professionally discreet clean-up men hired to handle problematic situations.
Their characters are each called to help after a deadly incident in a Manhattan hotel room, but end up forced to team up when they discover they’ve been double booked for the same job.
The unlikely pairing forms the basis for the story, which screened recently at the Venice Film Festival ahead of its limited theatrical release. Audiences will have the chance to catch it on the big screen starting this month before the movie hits Apple TV+ globally in late September.
Watts seems to relish the comedic potential of the renowned actors butting heads as masters of their covert trade. Through their characters’ prickly pride and one-upmanship, the film explores themes of loner professionals opening to partnership late in careers built on independence.
Staying true to its name, Wolfs presents Clooney and Pitt’s roles as lone wolf fixers antagonistic by design yet finding themselves increasingly entwined. The premise promises sharp banter between the suave stars. With any luck, their proven chemistry and the tight direction will overcome potential issues from thin character development to deliver lighthearted fun worthy of these seasoned talents’ revival. Now let’s climb into Clooney’s smooth BMW and see how the night plays out for our unwitting odd couple.
An Unlikely Partnership Forms
It’s a typical wintry night in Manhattan when trouble arises at an upscale hotel. A panicked phone call is made—a district attorney has a not-quite-dead young man in her room. Help is summoned in the form of Clooney’s fixer, a picture of calm efficiency. He arrives to find the situation more complicated, with Pitt’s fixer also on the scene at the request of the hotel’s owner.
The two clean-up men seem rivals at first, each certain they alone can handle the job. Clooney’s character methodically sets to work, but a spanner is thrown in the works when the “body” disappears. What was a routine cleanup grows more complex as Pitt’s fixer gets roped in against his will. Despite their prickly pride, cooperating becomes the only option.
A rift soon emerges—the “body” turns out to be very much alive, if eccentric. Chasing him through New York streets, the fixers seem forever one step behind. Just when they track him down, a new dilemma arises. Hidden on the fellow is a bag containing no ordinary contraband but valuable cargo far outside their usual work.
The discovery pulls these lone operators well out of their depths. Trying to contain the mess, they dive headlong into a murky criminal underworld. Led to a nightclub, they navigate seedy encounters and close calls, tension flaring as their livelihoods hang in the balance. Though rivalry runs deep, teaming up may offer the sole means of surviving the night.
As events spiral, more surprises await around every corner. Solutions prove elusive for the fixers, throwing them back on only each other’s expertise to unravel the mess. Through it all, an unlikely kinship might just form between these unwilling partners through shared wit and will to see the job through to the end.
Shades of Crime in a Caper Comedy
Jon Watts brings experience directing gritty crime fare, but adopting those sensibilities for a bromantic romp proves an imperfect match. Wolfs showcases the veteran director’s flair for moodily lit scenes and twist-heavy plots. Yet crafting the film noir style feels totally at odds with its lighthearted fixer-caper premise.
Watts saturates environments and characters in shadows straight out of a Michael Mann flick. It lends visual flair thanks to cinematographer Larkin Seiple. But hiding Clooney and Pitt’s legendary comic timing dims their spark. More could’ve shone through had we seen full smiles instead of silhouettes.
The film dodges outright drama, emphasizing wisecracking action balanced with funny dramatic beats. But the crime thriller aesthetic risks coloring scenes with a grimness the content doesn’t support. It’s a comedy first, so illuminating star power seemed the better visual choice over shrouding expressions.
Fortunately, the peerless leads maintain an engaging rhythm. Bantering through tight shots, they radiate effortless wit. Their charm offsets flaws, keeping scenes entertaining despite total mismatches. Supporting thesps like Abrams supplements humor too.
Overall, Wolfs shows promise blending genres, just needing a lighter stylistic touch befitting its charming if insubstantial story. With a less dramatically draped presentation, Watts may have better played to partnered fixers’ comedic strengths over shadowy stylistic flourishes.
On-Screen Magic and Off-Screen Familiarity
George Clooney and Brad Pitt have a cinematic magic that remains undimmed by time. In Wolfs, they effortlessly transport us back to the screwball heydays of yore through nuanced wordplay and knowing gazes. But for all their sparkling repartee, their characters feel vaguely undercooked.
As bickering fixers, the duo radiate the seasoned pros’ enjoyment. Every jibe lands with impeccable comedic flair, lingering glances belying deep admiration. Yet their characters vary mainly by Clooney’s wry world-weariness contrasted with Pitt’s swaggering charm. Subtler shadings seem absent, roles lacking distinctive beats.
Supporting players offer respite from fixers’ indistinct sameness. Austin Abrams gives the “kid” an endearing awkwardness, while others get short shrift. Thinner roles squander the rich potential of Watts’ crime roots to weave a world around our heroes.
When legends share chemistry as strong as scotch older than they, naturalism eludes tight confines. As when Legends Newman and Redford bantered, we see not parts but iconically familiar faces. Their stardom proves both blessing, elevating material just by virtue of their presence, and curse, hinting characters exist more to enable star vehicles than as fulsome individuals.
In the end, Wolfs triumphs through laughs sparked by old friends reunited, to our joy. But deeper joys may emerge by lending future films’ legendary leads the same dimensionality afforded their lesser characters, letting greats stretch beyond archetypes into richly human territory they’ve proven uniquely able to inhabit.
Finding Fellowship Among the Tropes
Wolfs explores loner antiheroes embracing partnership, with Clooney and Pitt living this thematically as reluctant fixers joined by circumstance. Their enjoyment shines through, even as characters feel loosely sketched. Nods to their personas as producer-stars prove clever if superficial.
Sticking close to genre conventions proves both boon and bane. Familiar buddy-cop tropes entertain, yet lack deeper insight one might find in Watts’ crime roots. Character moments feel perfunctory versus profoundly fleshed out. Visual flair and star wattage compensate where the script leaves others wanting.
Still, its caper ingredients cook up genial fun. Director Watts juggles comedy, action, and drama lightly, prioritizing laughs over weight. Scene-stealing performances maintain witty spirit throughout the material. Their rapport sparks joy in viewers, energizing vignettes of aging stars’ enduring magic.
While shallow on reflection, Wolfs offers fleet, smile-inducing entertainment. Substance takes backseat to style, yet skills on display honor Clooney and Pitt’s legacies. The film accomplishes its foremost goal by reuniting this duo, letting nostalgia buoy insubstantial fare into passable good times. Their magic reminds us how stars’ presence alone can elevate lightweight romps into diverting runtimes.
Some may find it leaves gaps, but most will enjoy the ride. Wolfs works best as lighthearted fare, thankful merely to showcase favorites together once more, themes be damned.
A Light Diversion, Not Their Greatest Hit
Tarantino clearly inspired Watts’ fixation on fixer characters. But where the provocateur subverts conventions, Wolfs sticks closely to them. It favors fun over pushing boundaries. Comparably, Scorsese tales like After Hours delivered far quirkier entertainment beneath somber surfaces.
Against early work like Cop Car, ambition and substance took backseats. That film richly realized complex criminal subcultures around scrappy heroes. Wolfs depicts a neater, less compelling world and thinly written leads.
Standing alongside classics pairing Pitt and Clooney like Ocean’s smooth talkers, their chemistry carries much lighter material here. That trilogy wonderfully balanced swashbuckling antics with three-dimensional characters. Wolfs keeps fixers arresting but not as full.
Their more serious, acclaimed roles of late add gravitas beyond this lightweight play. It satisfies appetites for pure star charisma alone yet doesn’t rank among greats’ best works.
Filling an enjoyment niche for franchise-fatigued adults wanting carefree fun, it works well enough. But Wolfs will likely join less storied parts in their storied careers, remembered more fondly for bringing legends’ easy magic than for redefining any genre.
A Fun Ride that Respects Legends Without Testing Their Mettle
While tickling fans with Clooney and Pitt’s renowned rapport, Wolfs never profoundly challenges its greats. The film breezes by on starpower alone versus wrestling with weightier themes or crafting fully dimensional roles for its legends to sink their teeth into.
Watts directs with assured flair, keeping the caper entertaining from start to finish. Yet one leaves wanting the material to have demanded even more from its towering leads. Their limitless talents feel confined by roles feeling more archetypal than multilayered.
Still, no viewers will begrudge the film simply for basking in these stars’ mystique together once more. Nostalgia proves balm enough, carrying lighter dramatic fare than their best works without reproach. And who wouldn’t delight in Clooney and Pitt’s easy repartee, a joy that lifts this genial yet insubstantial romp?
With sharper characterization augmenting tighter plotting and plot twists, maybe Wolfs could have tapped into the cast’s well of experience. Yet its primary goal, reuniting revered veterans, feels amply achieved. Fans feel treated to an amusing reunion special of beloved stars, faults aside, in a film aiming a little higher.
The Review
Wolfs
Wolfs succeeds thanks to inimitable chemistry between proven talents Clooney and Pitt. However, the lightweight material fails to challenge these legends, resulting in an enjoyable yet disposable star vehicle that rests firmly on likability rather than depth.
PROS
- Charming comedic chemistry between Clooney and Pitt
- Witty, entertaining dialogue and banter between leads
- Engaging performance from Austin Abrams as supporting "Kid" character
- Stylish visual tone and production values
CONS
- Thin, underdeveloped characters beyond Clooney and Pitt
- Predictable and repetitive plot beats
- Lacks substantive themes or insights beyond star vehicles
- Over-reliance on fame of leads versus compelling story
