Time-travelling action flick enjoyable low-stakes click

Shot in Winnipeg in the fall of 2024, writer-director BenDavid Grabinski’s Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice is the latest locally lensed movie to demonstrate that, when it comes to the action-comedy genre, Winnipeg production is punching above its weight.

Quite literally.

At various times, the film recalls past productions, such as the Bob Odenkirk two-fisted triple bill Nobody, Nobody 2 and Normal (the latter is coming to theatres next month), as well as the yuletide fight-fest Violent Night.

But make no mistake: Grabinski’s film is very much its own scrappy/cuddly animal, lacing elements of romance and gangland intrigue with a time-travel element that throws everything for a loop.

The latter element is addressed immediately, courtesy of a theoretical scientist/influencer named Symon (Ben Schwartz, whose character appears to be equal parts Doc Brown of Back to the Future and Parks and Recreation’s Jean-Ralphio). Symon asks mob wife Alice (Eiza González of Baby Driver) to finance his time-travel invention.

After investigating the device, Alice’s hit-man husband Nick (Vince Vaughn of Bad Monkey) shows up at the door of his friend and partner “Quick-Draw” Mike (James Marsden) on a mission to save the life of someone near and dear to both of them.

Notable plot point: this is Future Nick, so named because he comes from six months in the future and the plan involves enlisting Present Nick, who is, suffice to say, not enthusiastic about the prospect.

The plot proves even more tricky as it falls on an evening of parties celebrating the release from prison of the idiotic Jimmy Boy (Jimmy Tatro of the series American Vandal), scion of mobster kingpin Sosa (Keith David).

Both father and son are eager to mete out revenge for the betrayal that sent Jimmy Boy upriver.

Even without the time-travel element, the plot is plenty convoluted, or it would be, except Grabinski likes to leaven things with goofy pop culture tangents, such as: who was the worst boyfriend on Gilmore Girls? (Does Gilmore Girls have a gangster fan contingent?)

Seeing Vaughn participate in this frivolity might seem startling in view of the grim content of his more recent films, such as Hacksaw Ridge and Brawl in Cellblock 99. So the film is all the more pleasing for seeing him perform in the goofy comedy milieu in which he started his career. You can’t help thinking he must have found it rewarding to play opposite ends of a character arc in just about every one of his scenes.

As for Marsden, the X-Men actor has always kept in touch with his lighter side — see his roles in 30 Rock and Dead to Me — and he manages the greatest trick of grounding the proceedings with genuine heart.

winnipegfreepress.com/randallking