So credit where credit is due. Baby Driver plugs itself with the punch line “All you need is one killer track” and it delivers in spades in the genre-hopping music department. Indeed the more I researched this film after seeing it the more clever it became. It’s chock full of obscure and not so obscure references to music lines, music trivia and other films. Car chases, actor’s movements and actor’s lines are all delivered simpatico with whatever is in Baby’s head as he picks the perfect track to accompany his getaway driver’s life at that moment.
But if you’re not a music nerd or 15 then Baby Driver comes across as just a bit light. The Director, Edgar Wright, is best known for some great British comedies including Shaun of the Dead (2004) and Hot Fuzz (2007) and so it’s a shame he didn’t bring some of that wackiness into Baby Driver, which, despite some amusing moments, plays it pretty straight, which I guess you have to do if you’re trying to keep every teenager in the world suitably enthralled.
Baby Driver’s soundtrack might be a killer, but like Kevin Spacey’s acting in Baby Driver, it’s best not to try too hard and just go with the flow.
