Barbarella feels somewhat aggrieved by PAYDAY

Published: November 20, 2022, 6:22 PM CST by Barbarella

Hello, my friends. Barbara here. I love a good heist movie, so when I saw the trailer for THE PAY DAY, it just felt right on point. After checking it out, I thought, “That was cute,” but cute isn't exactly what I wanted from a heist movie. In fact, it should have been promoted more as a romantic comedy, because that's really what it was.

Written by Sam Benjamin and Kyla Frye, the story follows a troubled woman (Kyla Frye) whose exceptional technical skills lead a crime boss (Simon Callow) to lure her with a get-rich-quick scheme while taking revenge. on a former employer's plan. At work, she meets an attractive rival (Sam Benjamin), which causes the plan to go awry.

I like THE PAY DAY a lot, from its super stupidity to certain characters and performances, but the lack of intelligence concerning the heist and the fact that it too often veers into implausible scenarios disappoints me. Still, a spectacularly entertaining elevator scene makes up for that somewhat.

Simon Callow's over-the-top performance makes him look more like a caricature of a crime boss than a real one, reminding audiences that this is a comedy, not a drama policeman. Not that it's really necessary to remind you: the Pink Pantheresque music that covers the scenes does a good enough job that you never forget that it's supposed to be silly. And that's silly.

Apart from that aforementioned elevator scene, I think stupidity may be what I appreciate the most about it. Sometimes you just need that. Frequent ingestion of violent and dark content can wear down a person, so it's nice to have something so light and goofy to balance out the heavier material. Some dialogue could have benefited from a reworking, and some scenes are downright ridiculous, but I find myself laughing for one reason or another for many scenes, so I guess that makes for a good comedy.

My biggest issue is with expectations. I go into it thinking THE PAY DAY is a heist movie, but a good heist movie requires ah-ha moments, where the reveal of how the heist is accomplished wows the viewer. While we get a few reveals here, nothing reaches a level that even remotely impresses. I would have preferred that we think more about a clever heist rather than going towards the development of romance.

Not that the romance is much developed here; he doesn't grow it all organically. I would have liked more moments where we see the characters evolve in their feelings towards each other. Instead, they go from rivals to love interests too easily, and I just don't buy it.

The other issue is pacing. Some previous scenes take too long to unfold, but then rush towards the end to a point that could have benefited from taking longer to move the characters to that point. Funnily enough, there's what looks like a set-up for a more dramatic climatic scene, but nothing happens with that, and before you know it, the whole story is neatly wrapped up with an arc. More conflict would have served the film well, as it just doesn't offer the intensity required to spark my investment in the outcome. I wanted a giant roller coaster of Texas emotions, but this is a roller coaster for kids, and the only time my heart rate goes up is when Sam Benjamin takes off his shirt. (Sorry if that biases it, but it's the truth.)

Overall, even though it didn't meet my expectations, I don't really hate THE PAY DAY. It makes me laugh and leaves me a little clumsier than before watching it. Given the frequent barrage of negativity everywhere, having the ability to wallow in stupidity isn't a bad thing. That's not a bad thing at all.

THE PAY DAY is now available digitally in the US and will be available in the UK on December 5th. Check out the trailer.

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