The Bad Guys (2022)

Effectively a heist movie for a children’s audience, The Bad Guys mimics the slick style of the Ocean’s trilogy. It’s got the cuts and costumes and double-crosses and MacGuffins you’d expect from a genre staple, but it also features zany, child-friendly plot lines with zombie Guinea pigs and (explicit and methodical) lessons about how to be nice. I like this in theory far more than in its execution but, even when I knew what was coming from a mile away, I found this earnest spoof enjoyable enough. 

The Big Bad Wolf (Sam Rockwell) leads a gang of criminal masterminds, his surly best friend Snake (Marc Maron) among them. Pulling off elaborate thefts and toying with the police along the way, the five outcasts live together as friends, but things change when Wolf’s gang is badmouthed by Governor Diane Foxington (Zazie Beetz), prompting the proud Wolf to lead a rushed operation at a charity gala. While there, Wolf inadvertently saves an old lady and gets a taste for good deeds which stirs conflict among his crew. They oppose his new lease and want one last high-stakes job, even when they get caught red-handed and must rehabilitate themselves working with philanthropist Professor Marmalade (Richard Ayoade). But a grander conspiracy swirls around the bad guys and Wolf can’t help but be sucked into its center. 

I caught a trailer for this months ago and, while the “breaking good” story intrigued me, it was the unique animation that drew me in first. It evoked Into the Spiderverse for me in a way, an effect that wasn’t lost watching at home from my kitchen. Up close, though, the limited detail and cartoonish faces of the animal characters could be seen. There was still something visually interesting about it, particularly when the varied animals burst into action, but the novelty had a short half life. 

The Bad Guys includes an eclectic but notable voice cast beyond Rockwell, Maron, and Beetz, with Awkwafina, Craig Robinson, and Anthony Ramos rounding out Wolf’s crew. Outside of Ramos, who has a blast with the wildest performance including a lively musical number that showcases his vocal chops, though, the voice work felt oddly generic. Even after looking up the performers behind the characters mid-movie, I struggled to hear them in the roles—isn’t that the point of stunt casting celebrities? A lot of that issue probably falls to Rockwell capturing the cool conflicted vibe of Wolf but playing things so understated and Clooney-esque: I love Rockwell but a kid-ified script and what feels like an impression robs his work of memorability. 

Having never read the books that inspired the film, I enjoyed a plot full of surprises and changing allegiances that never robbed the film of its gentleness or accessibility. Are all of these telegraphed? Oh, for sure—you’ve seen everything here before in better films. But that familiarity bothered me less in a movie made for a young audience. Give me this over Sherlock Gnomes any day. I do fear that some of this twisting results in mixed messaging for younger viewers—bad being good and good being bad could leave an aftertaste of TRUST NO ONE EVER—but a film about redemption arcs and accountability is nice to offer up. 

As one might expect from a childrens’ caper, The Bad Guys isn’t high art with dynamic characterization or smooth pacing. Elements don’t always add up here and things lurch between tropey set pieces from better-crafted adult movies. But I won’t lambast a kids’ movie, particularly one that entertained me and kept me engaged, even when it seemed to aim lower than its aesthetic and idea seemed capable of. I’d watch a sequel for sure.