Tower Heist (2011)

When a group of hard-working guys find out they've fallen victim to their wealthy employer's Ponzi scheme, they conspire to rob his high-rise residence.

Director:

Brett Ratner

Writers:

Adam Cooper (story), Bill Collage (story)

Stars:

Eddie Murphy, Ben Stiller, Casey Affleck

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ben Stiller	...	Josh Kovaks
Eddie Murphy	...	Slide
Casey Affleck	...	Charlie
Alan Alda	...	Arthur Shaw
Matthew Broderick	...	Mr. Fitzhugh
Stephen McKinley Henderson	...	Lester
Judd Hirsch	...	Mr. Simon
Téa Leoni	...	Special Agent Claire Denham
Michael Peña	...	Enrique Dev'Reaux
Gabourey Sidibe	...	Odessa
Nina Arianda	...	Miss Iovenko
Marcia Jean Kurtz	...	Rose
Juan Carlos Hernández	...	Manuel
Harry O'Reilly	...	Special Agent Dansk
Peter Van Wagner	...	Marty Klein Esq.

Storyline

Josh Kovaks is the manager of a high-rise condominium in New York. He is close to all the tenants, especially financier Arthur Shaw. One day Shaw is arrested by the FBI for fraud. Josh thinks it's a misunderstanding that can be resolved, but later he learns that the employees' pension fund - which he asked Shaw to handle - is gone. When one of the employees tries to kill himself, Josh's views of Shaw change. He goes to see him and loses his temper, and his job. The FBI agent in charge tells him that Shaw might walk, and recovering the pension fund is unlikely. She tells him that it's been rumored that Shaw has $20 million lying around if he needs it in a hurry. Josh thinks he knows where it is, so with two other fired employees and an evicted tenant, they set out to get into Shaw's penthouse to get the money. But they realize they need the assistance of someone who knows how to steal, so Josh asks an old acquaintance named Slide who he knows is a thief to help them.

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Plot Keywords:

manager | fbi | high rise | heist | ponzi scheme | 

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Taglines:

Ordinary guys. An extraordinary robbery.

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Crime

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for language and sexual content

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [France]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish Chinese

Release Date:

4 November 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

Trump Heist

Filming Locations:

Astoria, Queens, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$75,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$24,025,190, 6 November 2011, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$78,046,570

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$152,930,623

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Imagine Entertainment, Relativity Media

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Datasat SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The scene where Tea Leoni arrests Ben Stiller in Central Park originally had over 20 S.W.A.T men backing her up which was complete overkill according to Director Brett Ratner, as he preferred the more intimate version in the final cut between the characters.

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Goofs

When Kovaks is asked to steal $50 worth of materials, he steals a $12 candle and two pairs of underwear, but the underwear said 5 for $25. However, it is very possible (although unlikely) for the underwear to have an individual price of $19 or more, and the 5 for $25 just the sale price, bringing his total to $50. Some companies will purposely have high individual prices to encourage people to go for the sale.

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Quotes

[from trailer]
Josh Kovacs: Several years ago, he was asked to manage all your pensions. Right now, they're saying that anyone who invested with Mr Shaw has been frauded.
Odessa Montero: Did he get your money too?
Josh Kovacs: ...Yeah. He did.

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Connections

Referenced in Under the Skin (2013)

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Soundtracks

Dadeland Girl
Written and Performed by Salaam Remi
Courtesy of BoomBOXXX, LLC

User Reviews

Breezy and acceptable fluff

"Tower Heist" is a movie that's never going to win awards. But if it's playing on your television during a rainy day, you will find it is an acceptable way to pass the time. And you'll find the movie has some positive features. Alan Alda makes for a good slimy villain, and Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy, and Matthew Broderick (as well as their co-stars) make a likable bunch of people with a goal that you hope they will be able to reach. The actual heist has some unexpected twists as well as some genuine suspense. Certainly, the movie is not perfect. There are some parts of the movie when the movie seems to be missing footage, especially at the end where not all the plot points are resolved (though the two alternate endings on the DVD have this missing material that was for some reason removed from the theatrical print.) While I wouldn't say this is a movie to seek out, if you stumble upon the opportunity to see it, it will probably give you an acceptable amount of entertainment.