Thursday afternoon, I was bored, cranky, and looking for trouble that didn't involve a keyboard. Ads for this movie had been drifting into my feed like a freak snowstorm. Without much hope, I went looking for a showtime somewhere not in Atlanta proper. I would not drive into the city to see Jesus do the Raise the Dead trick.
Lo, there was a listing for Caught Stealing at a new theater not ten minutes from my house that was showing the movie at 4:40pm. I had an hour to grab a snack, spend another infuriating few minutes listening to the news before the show, and do a little more scrolling, but scrupulously avoided any movie trailers.
Something possessed me when I walked through the doors. I went up to the man at the ticket counter and said, "I'm here to see Austin Butler in his underwear." I got four blinds and a senior discount. I will be remembered.
There was no one else there for the very first showing but me. I took a comfy recliner front and center, busted open my roll of Sweet Tarts, and got completely lost in Aronofsky's adventure for the next hour and 47 minutes. Holy crap! An original story.
I confess that for the most part, I missed most of the 80's and 90's, culturally. I had two kids and a full-time job. And from what little leaked into cable news, there was little charm there. Caught Stealing is fully steeped in the era and New York City at its seediest. The supporting cast was amazing. The soundtrack was a character unto itself. Fortunately, the theater sound did not try to blast us out of our seats and for me was easy enough to ignore for the most part.
The story itself is woven around the arm's-length innocence of two stars--the guy who you will no doubt be sick to death of seeing, and a magnificent cat named Tonic. Good cat daddies are everything. I hated Butler's Elvis, but he has been redeemed. I don't know about Best Picture of the Year, but best entertainment in a long time for yours truly.
No spoilers from me. A good time was had by all.
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