I am very unfortunately among the percentage of the world’s population consisting mostly of baby boomers, (with the occasional millennial thrown in the mix, I will not discredit my generation that much) which hates pop music. Aside from a few artists and albums which I will not name (Harry Styles), I find that the Billboard chart-toppers have had, as of late, an incredibly inauthentic similar feel about them. The synths, the repetitive lyrics, and the love-that-isn’t-really-love driven themes, are all noxious to my ears. It’s because of this that I found something of euphoric pleasure in the theme and soundtrack of "Baby Driver," which was among one of the best movies I’ve seen all year.
The dialogue is sparse but witty, the cinematography is playful and lively, and I think that the director of the film did a really wonderful job of creating an action movie with a vehicular theme that didn’t bore me half to tears (sorry Vin Diesel). Baby himself is played by Ansel Elgort, who we may all remember playing Gus in "The Fault in Our Stars," the hottest movie of 2014 if you happened to be 16 at the time, and perhaps the most overrated movie of 2014 if you were anything older. The John Green “classic” was, with the exception of a few minor roles, the big acting debut for Ansel Elgort, who then proceeded to land roles in films such as the "Divergent" series, which again, were really awesome for 16-year-olds, and lackluster for the other 99.98% of the population.
For Elgort to take on this role was alarming for those watching from the outside, but for those seeing the movie, a pleasant surprise. No more was he the king of corny dialogue, but instead a very quiet, very quick moving individual with a fantastic taste in music. Supporting actors in the movie included the likes of Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx, and Jon Hamm, who each acted as unique, memorable, and incredibly well-executed supporting characters for Elgort’s starring role.
Also working as the background for this movie was, as I began to mention earlier, the soundtrack. A fun mix of blues, rock, and jazz, the first thing I did after seeing the movie was google the soundtrack. While unfortunately I was unable to download the soundtrack officially though Apple Music, I was, however, able to find an exact replica of the soundtrack composed through a playlist maker by someone with lots of patience.
Featuring the likes of anything from the “Harlem Shuffle” to “Hocus Pocus” by Focus, (if Focus has any other songs, none of them could possibly matter as much as this one, and they’ve done that to themselves by giving it the most perfect name, and also by including the use of yodeling) this soundtrack doesn’t take itself seriously, but also makes sure to bring something original to the table. It’s evident throughout the movie how important the soundtrack is to the plot, but whether or not you appreciate it is completely individual. I loved the soundtrack- I fell in love hard with the soundtrack, and I found that the director made the movie what it was through the use of music, which is pretty spectacular considering it’s an action film.
All and all, I absolutely adored the movie, and I highly recommend it.