Tower Heist

Tower Heist is like a cross between Fun with Dick and Jane and Ocean’s Eleven. Big boss siphons money from company; protagonist plots to recover the money; he recruits his team and comes up with an elaborate plan for the heist.

Unlike Eleven where the team was more professional, the team in Heist was assembled with comical amateurs which adds the element of laughter to the movie. There is Eddie Murphy who plays the role of the “professional” thief, but all through the show, my mind kept conjuring the image of Shrek’s Donkey whenever he spoke. (For the uninitiated, Murphy was the voice of Donkey)

I particularly liked the ending where Ben Stiller (the manager) assumes responsibility for the crime and goes to jail in place of his subordinates (also his partners). That’s what I feel is an important aspect of leadership i.e. standing by your team in trying times and taking responsibility for mistakes rather than shirking the blame.

Laughter plus a dose of character education. Nice.