Starring: Ethan Hawke, Selena Gomez
Director: Courtney Solomon
Rated: PG-13
Selena Gomez latest attempt to distance herself from her Disney image is ironically her most “Disney” project to date it’s an hour and a half of Disney’s “Lights,Cameras, Action” stunt show. Set almost entirely inside a 2008 Shelby Super Snake. Gomez costars as “The Kid” opposite Ethan Hawke as washed up former race driver “Brent Magna” a man who comes home to a destroyed apartment, a missing wife and a ringing phone. On the other end a mysterious voice instructs Brent to follow his orders to a tee or his kidnapped wife will be murdered. Brent drives around the Bulgarian town of Sofia in the stolen Shelby with would be carjacker Gomez. “The Kid” possesses a surprising insight into cars and an ability to use an iPad in ways that are not actually possible. It’s up to “The Kid” and Manga to reap vehicular pandemonium on the town while trying to find out the motives of the mysterious voice.
Hawke is weathered enough to pull off the role of Manga a man who blew his shot and will do whatever “the voice” says to save the life of his wife. Given that Hawke is a New Yorker with minimal driving experience he maximizes his screen time behind the wheel. Gomez isn’t so lucky she comes off as a bratty little teen rather than a teen with knowledge beyond her years. It doesn’t help that regardless of her actual age she looks like she is twelve (those chubby cheeks and that scrunched up little face just scream tween), it takes more than putting her in a hoodie to give her street cred.
The real star of the film is the car and the chase sequences which are the strongest portion of the film. With more cameras than you can shake a GoPro at, every possible angle is available to witness the tire screeching action. The Shelby is just as representative of an American fish out of water in Europe as the human stars of the film.
All of that is well and good, the problem is the plot is light on well… plot. and so heavy on car chasing that it wears out its welcome rather quickly. What should be a fun adrenaline fueled ride quickly becomes rote and repetitive. After fifteen minutes you might wonder if you are not seeing the same clip over and over again.
Getaway proves the point that the old axiom that “anything worth doing, is worth over doing” is not always true
Grade- 62
