Going in Style (1979)

Three friends who are living on the dole decide to organize a bank robbery.

Director:

Martin Brest

Writers:

Martin Brest (screenplay by), Edward Cannon (story by)

Stars:

George Burns, Art Carney, Lee Strasberg

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
George Burns	...	Joe
Art Carney	...	Al
Lee Strasberg	...	Willie
Charles Hallahan	...	Pete
Pamela Payton-Wright	...	Kathy
Siobhan Keegan	...	Colleen
Brian Neville	...	Kevin
Constantine Hartofolis	...	Boy in Park
Mary Testa	...	Teller
Jean Shevlin	...	Mrs. Fein
James Manis	...	Hot Dog Vendor
Tito Goya	...	Gypsy Cab Driver
William Pabst	...	Bank Guard
Christopher Wynkoop	...	Bank Manager
John McComb	...	Businessman in Bank

Storyline

Joe, Al, and Willie are three old men who have resigned themselves to dying. One night, Joe hatches a scheme to put a bit of excitement back into their lives: robbing a bank.

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Plot Keywords:

friend | robbery | bank robbery | black comedy | satire | 

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Taglines:

Whether they win or lose, they'll be "Going in Style"

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros. WB Shop / Warner Archive

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 December 1979 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Quadrilha do Reumático

Filming Locations:

TWA Terminal, JFK International Airport, Jamaica, Queens, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$26,869,286

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The trio use Groucho Marx disguises in the robbery. George Burns knew Groucho, though they were frequently mad at each other.

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Goofs

When they rob the bank Joe hold the bag such that money falls out. Later in the overhead shot there is no sign of the spilled cash.

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Quotes

Joe: [Al, Joe, and Willie are sitting on a park bench. Willie's feeding pigeon's, and as Al tells Willie the birds are filthy, Joe's staring into space, when a chunky kid - his mouth and face smeared with jelly - comes along - frightens the pigeons away, and stands right in front of Joe - blankly staring. Joe stares back, for a few seconds, but, becomes bewildered by this kid's staring, and mutters to Al] What the hell's the matter with this kid?
[Al looks at the kid - sizing him up - for a second]
Joe: If...
[...]

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Connections

Featured in George Burns & Art Carney on Dinah! (1979)

User Reviews

A must-see that is probably not what you think

A short preview of this film on television might suggest a zany comedy in which old age-jokes fly fast and furious, but "Going in Style" is in fact a serious film, with only bits of humor thrown in here and there.

George Burns is Joe, a man who suggests to his two roommates (Art Carney and Lee Strasberg) that they rob a bank in order to relieve the boredom of retirement. When they do, the find their lives do in fact change drastically, though in quite unexpected ways.

The characters are three-dimensional and complex, and it is apparent that they, just like real people, have issues in their lives -- sometimes very serious ones -- that have gone unresolved for many years. The dialogue is realistic, but relaxed, and includes a lot of repetition of lines (Joe, Willie, and Al are all starting to lose their faculties somewhat and occasionally need repetition from each other). This makes the pacing deceptively slow; when you think back on the film after watching it, though, you find that a whole lot happened in those 97 minutes.

"Going in Style" has no caricatures (except, perhaps, Joe`s attorney) and, though the problems of old age are presented in a matter-of-fact way, the film is never preachy. It should also be noted that it is gratifying to see a movie in which younger members of a family (Pete and Kathy) show such genuine respect and kindness to their elders.

All the leads are terrific, but Burns is perfection itself as Joe.

This film is very highly recommended.