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Baby Driver

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Johnsirett (talk | contribs) at 10:48, 20 June 2017 (Added a proper plot summary to film, having now seen it. Likely over-length, but could serve as a good starting point for someone to clean up who is more familiar with https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Film.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

For other uses, see Baby Driver (disambiguation).
Baby Driver
Theatrical release poster
Directed byEdgar Wright
Written byEdgar Wright
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyBill Pope
Edited by
Music bySteven Price
Production
companies
Distributed byTriStar Pictures
Release dates
  • March 11, 2017 (2017-03-11) (SXSW)
  • June 28, 2017 (2017-06-28) (United States & United Kingdom)
Running time
113 minutes[1][2]
Countries
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
LanguageEnglish

Baby Driver is a 2017 jukebox musical[3] action crime comedy​ film written and directed by Edgar Wright, starring Ansel Elgort, Kevin Spacey, Lily James, Eiza González, Jon Hamm, Jamie Foxx and Jon Bernthal. The film follows Baby, a young getaway driver who is reluctantly coerced to work for a veteran kingpin in exchange for the start of a better life. It is notable for featuring action scenes choreographed to the film's soundtrack.

The film had its world premiere at South by Southwest on March 11, 2017, and is scheduled to be released theatrically on June 28, 2017, by TriStar Pictures.

Plot

A young and talented getaway driver named Baby (Ansel Elgort) relies on the personal beat of his preferred soundtrack, to be the best in the world of crime, as music heightens his focus and reflexes to extreme levels. A car accident as a child killed both his parents, and left him with permanent tinnitus, which he blocks out using music. He is preferred as a driver by Doc (Kevin Spacey), a mastermind organizer of bank robberies and other high-earning heists.

Baby owes money to Doc from a previous encounter, and is working off his debt to him, with the intention of leaving the criminal underworld once the debt is settled. He lives with his aging, deaf-mute foster father, who also wants him to leave the criminal business. He secretly records parts of conversations with Doc and other criminal peers to use as part of personal song remixes.

On the final job before the debt will be paid, Baby is partnered with the impulsively violent Bats (Jamie Foxx). While robbing an armored truck, Baby sees the dead body of an innocent security guard, presumably killed by Bats, disillusioning him from the criminal lifestyle. When another member of the team, JD, shows up dead, he begins to realize Bats is a violent sociopath who kills on a whim.

Meanwhile, Baby meets Debora (Lily James), a young waitress serving tables at local diner, and begins a romantic relationship with her. Baby sees a chance to ditch his criminal life and make a clean getaway alongside Debora. Using his criminal proceeds, he treats her to dinner at an upmarket restaurant, but the bill is instead settled by Doc. He asks Baby to return for another job, threatening his family and health if he does not comply.

Baby is forced to help Doc with his next criminal endeavor, which involves robbing money orders from a USPS office. He is introduced to criminals Buddy (Jon Hamm) and his girlfriend Darling (Eiza González), but is again forced to work with Bats. When the team is sent on an errand to pick up guns and supplies from one of Doc's contacts, Bats coldly murders the contact and his security. On the way back, the team stops at the diner where Debora works. Baby narrowly stops Bats from murdering Debora, and provides her with a note saying they will elope at 2 am, before the heist.

The team returns to Doc, who is furious over the murder of his contacts, and threatens to call off the job. Baby casts a deciding vote to resume the heist, but secretly slips out to try to meet up with Debora and run from his former criminal contacts. He is stopped by Buddy and Bats, who discover the voice recorder he has been using to produce remix tapes, and assume he is a police informant. Baby is forced to return to his flat, where Bats confiscates his remix tapes and presents them to Doc. Doc is again furious, but Baby convinces him to allow him to continue as the driver.

On the date of the heist, Baby is unsettled by witnessing a postal service worker he had met while casing the premises the day before. After Bats murders a police officer in cold blood, he hesitates from acting out his role as getaway driver. Baby then drives head-on into a parked truck in front, killing Bats instantly and sabotaging the heist.

Baby runs across the city, pursued by police and former compatriots Buddy and Darling. Darling is shot dead by police during the ensuing chase. Baby successfuly evades police capture, and is able to place his foster father at a safe care home. When he returns to the diner to meet Debora, he is confronted by Buddy, furious over Darling's death which he blames on Baby. He intends to kill Debora to get revenge on Baby, but is instead shot by Baby when police arrive.

Debora and Baby go on the run, pursued by the police and a still living Buddy. He kills Buddy by ramming his car through the barrier wall of a multi-story car park, and successfuly escapes the city with Debora. The pair appear to get away clean, but are stopped by a police barricade at the state line. Baby turns himself into police, not wanting to involve Debora in further criminal activity. Due to multiple witnesses attesting to Baby's good character, he is given a sentence of 25 years in prison, with parole in 5.

Sometime later, Baby is released from prison, with Debora having waiting patiently for his release. The pair set off together towards their new lives.

Cast

  • Ansel Elgort as Baby, a young man with a love for music who works as the getaway driver for a rotating crew of bank robbers.[4]
    • Hudson Meek as Young Baby
  • Lily James as Debora, a waitress and Baby's love interest.
  • Kevin Spacey as Doc, the mysterious kingpin of the rag-tag crew of bank robbers and a veteran criminal mastermind.
  • Jon Hamm as Buddy, the handsome party animal and one of the villains, part of the bank robbers gang and a former Wall Street trader.
  • Jamie Foxx as Bats, the impulsive gun-slinging cohort of the bank robbing crew.
  • Jon Bernthal as Griff, one of the bank robbers.
  • Eiza González as Darling, one of the bank robbers, Buddy’s lawless and scandalous girlfriend and partner in crime.[5]
  • Flea as Eddie No-Nose, one of the bank robbers.[6]
  • Sky Ferreira as Baby's mom and the musical angel of his guard.

Production

Development

Edgar Wright has stated that he first had the idea for the film in 1994, however he adapted the film's original planned beginning into a 2003 music video he directed for Mint Royale's "Blue Song",[7] which starred Noel Fielding as a music-loving getaway driver for a group of bank robbers. He later kicked himself when the video became unexpectedly popular.[8]

Casting

On July 22, 2014, it was announced that Edgar Wright, who left the project Ant-Man, would next direct Baby Driver for Working Title Films. Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner and Nira Park would produce the film.[9] On January 13, 2015, it was reported that Ansel Elgort was in early talks to join the film, which Sony Pictures Entertainment would release through TriStar Pictures.[10] Emma Stone and Michael Douglas were also being eyed to be cast in the film.[11] On May 7, 2015, Lily James was in talks to join the film for female lead to play a waitress and love interest of Elgort's character.[12][13] Media Rights Capital and TriStar would be co-financing the film together, which Park would produce through her Big Talk Productions and Wright writing the script.[12]

On September 8, 2015, Jamie Foxx was reportedly in talks to join the film.[14] On October 20, 2015, Jon Hamm signed on to star in the film to play one of the villains, part of the bank robbers gang and a former Wall Street trader.[13] On November 3, 2015, Kevin Spacey was cast in the film to play the role of the boss of the crew and a veteran criminal.[15] On December 16, 2015, Eiza González joined the film to play one of the bank robbers and Hamm's character's girlfriend.[16] On February 23, 2016, Jon Bernthal was cast as Griff.[17] On January 8, 2017, Wright posted via Twitter that "Streep is in my new movie", deleting the tweet shortly afterward, leading some to speculate that Meryl Streep would appear in Baby Driver.[18]

Filming

Principal photography on the film began on February 17 and concluded on May 13, 2016, in Atlanta, Georgia.[19][20]

Soundtrack

Baby Driver (Music from the Motion Picture)
File:Baby Driver soundtrack.jpg
Soundtrack album by
Various artists
ReleasedJune 19, 2017 (2017-06-19)
Recorded1961-2017
StudioVarious
GenreRock, soul, pop, hip hop, blues
Length1:43:53
Label30th Century Records
ProducerDanger Mouse

Baby Driver (Music from the Motion Picture) is the soundtrack album of the film of the same name. The soundtrack will be released on June 23, 2017 on CD, vinyl and digital music via the Columbia Records imprint, 30th Century Records.[21] The album features a combinations of artists, ranging from various decades, including Blur, Run the Jewels, Sky Ferreira, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Queen and Golden Earring.[22]

Track listing

The soundtrack features three original tracks – 'Easy' by Ferriera, ‘Chase Me’, by Danger Mouse, featuring Run The Jewels and Big Boi and 'Was It Easy?' by Kid Koala.[22]

No.TitleArtist(s)Length
1."Bellbottoms"Jon Spencer Blues Explosion5:17
2."Harlem Shuffle"Bob & Earl2:52
3."Egyptian Reggae"Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers2:37
4."Smokey Joe's La La"Googie Rene3:02
5."Let’s Go Away For Awhile"The Beach Boys2:21
6."B-A-B-Y"Carla Thomas2:57
7."Kashmere"Kashmere Stage Band4:57
8."Unsquare Dance"Dave Brubeck2:00
9."Neat Neat Neat"The Damned2:42
10."Easy (Single Version)"The Commodores4:16
11."Debora"T. Rex3:19
12."Debra"Beck5:43
13."Bongolia"Incredible Bongo Band2:15
14."Baby Let Me Take You (In My Arms)"The Detroit Emeralds3:53
15."Early In The Morning"Alexis Korner3:01
16."The Edge"David McCallum2:54
17."Nowhere to Run"Martha and the Vandellas3:02
18."Tequila"The Button Down Brass3:32
19."When Something Is Wrong With My Baby"Sam & Dave3:16
20."Every Little Bit Hurts"Brenda Holloway2:57
21."Intermission"Blur2:27
22."Hocus Pocus (Original Single Version)"Focus3:18
23."Radar Love (1973 Single Edit)"Golden Earring3:44
24."Never, Never Gonna Give Ya Up"Barry White4:51
25."Know How"Young MC4:02
26."Brighton Rock"Queen5:10
27."Easy"Sky Ferreira4:28
28."Baby Driver"Simon & Garfunkel3:16
29."Was He Slow (Credit Roll Version)"Kid Koala1:47
30."Chase Me"Danger Mouse featuring Run the Jewels and Big Boi3:27
Total length:1:43:53

Release

In August 2015, Sony Pictures Entertainment announced that the film would be released on March 17, 2017. It was briefly pushed back to August 11, 2017, before settling on June 28, 2017.[23] It had its world premiere at South by Southwest on March 11, 2017.[24]

Critical response

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 100% based on 24 reviews, and an average rating of 8.5/10.[25] On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating, the film has a score of 81 out of 100, based on 10 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[26]

References

  1. ^ "Baby Driver". South by Southwest. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
  2. ^ "BABY DRIVER (15)". BBFC. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
  3. ^ http://screencrush.com/edgar-wright-explains-how-baby-driver-is-and-isnt-a-musical/
  4. ^ "'Baby Driver' Character Descriptions Revealed; Jon Bernthal Joins Edgar Wright's New Film". Collider. 2016-02-23. Retrieved 2017-01-15.
  5. ^ "Eiza Gonzalez Joins Ansel Elgort in Edgar Wright's 'Baby Driver'". Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  6. ^ Hewitt, Chris. "Baby Driver Trailer Breakdown With Edgar Wright".
  7. ^ "Video Archives: Blue Song ~ Mint Royale – dir. Edgar Wright (2003)". Edgar Wright Here. 2009-08-28. Retrieved 2017-01-15.
  8. ^ "Edgar Wright Makes a Triumphant Return at SXSW with Baby Driver". Vanity Fair. 2017-03-12. Retrieved 2017-03-12.
  9. ^ Fleming Jr, Mike (July 22, 2014). "Comic-Con: Off 'Ant-Man' Hill, Edgar Wright Sets Sights On 'Baby Driver'". deadline.com. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
  10. ^ Kroll, Justin (January 13, 2015). "Edgar Wright's 'Baby Driver' Eyes Ansel Elgort; Sony to Release". variety.com. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
  11. ^ Allen, Clark (January 12, 2015). "Ansel Elgort Boards Edgar Wright's Next Film, "Baby Driver"". tracking-board.com. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
  12. ^ a b Kroll, Justin (May 7, 2015). "Lily James to Co-Star in Edgar Wright's 'Baby Driver'". variety.com. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  13. ^ a b Kroll, Justin (October 20, 2015). "Jon Hamm Joins Edgar Wright's 'Baby Driver'". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved October 21, 2015.
  14. ^ Jaafar, Ali (September 8, 2015). "Jamie Foxx In Talks To Board Edgar Wright's 'Baby Driver'". deadline.com. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
  15. ^ Fleming Jr, Mike (November 3, 2015). "Kevin Spacey Joining 'Baby Driver' & 'Billionaire Boys Club'". deadline.com. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  16. ^ Kroll, Justin (December 16, 2015). "Eiza Gonzalez Joins Ansel Elgort in Edgar Wright's 'Baby Driver'". Variety. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  17. ^ Fleming Jr, Mike (February 23, 2016). "Jon Bernthal Joins Edgar Wright's 'Baby Driver' Ensemble". Deadline. Retrieved February 24, 2016.
  18. ^ Wakeman, Gregory (2017-01-09). "Wait, Meryl Streep Is In Edgar Wright's Baby Driver?!". CINEMABLEND. Retrieved 2017-01-15.
  19. ^ "Edgar Wright's 'Baby Driver' Off and Running". www.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2016-05-17.
  20. ^ "Baby Driver: Filming Wraps on Edgar Wright's New Film". Collider. 2016-05-16. Retrieved 2016-05-17.
  21. ^ Roffman, Michael. "Soundtrack to Baby Driver spans 30 tracks and multiple decades". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
  22. ^ a b Connick, Tom. "Queen, Blur, The Beach Boys and more join 'Baby Driver' soundtrack". NME. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
  23. ^ {Gettell, Oliver (March 27, 2017). "Baby Driver release date moves up to June". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  24. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 31, 2017). "SXSW 2017 Lineup: 'Baby Driver', 'Free Fire', 'Muppet Guys Talking' & Docus That Matter In Drumpf Era". Deadline.com. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
  25. ^ "Baby Driver (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved March 14, 2017.
  26. ^ "Baby Driver reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved March 14, 2017.
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