Ever fresh-faced and with more than a hint of being slightly bewildered, Steve (played by Taylor Gray) always looks like he just woke up and is trying to figure out where he is. So are we, finding ourselves in scene after scene that seems to have a focus time delay built in, figuratively speaking.
Oh, we’re at a party in an art museum…
Oh, that’s his BFF’s girl…
Oh, this is male bonding band-of-thieves style…
Not that this is a complaint. Quite the contrary. For this writer, Any Day Now charms most by letting the storyline recede into the background so that the cast of quirky characters who people the script come to life relatively unencumbered by plot line.
ANY DAY NOW Imagines a Famous Art Heist
Without frills or ceremony, a short one-liner at the film start tells you it is about a 1990 art heist from a Boston Museum. That in itself might lead many a lover of jewel or other treasure heist stories astray. Forget A Fish Called Wanda, Diamonds are Forever or certainly The Pink Panther. Imagine instead a less conventional and more playful Tony Soprano unencumbered by domesticity or need to rub out his rivals.
The story begins at the end, where we meet incarcerated Marty Lyons (played by Paul Guilfoyle), the charismatic mastermind behind the caper. One moment he is throwing a petty shakedown gangster in his trunk. In another moment he is bringing flowers to an aunt with dementia. He grabs the microphone to hijack a rock group’s gig as if to remind that it was his generation that actually pioneered sex, drugs and rock and roll. He explains his backstory of watching his honest cop father get pinned for crimes he didn’t commit. He’s the father figure who confides he is clueless about all matters of the heart, and deeply lonely to boot. Eric Aronson’s script gives Marty Lyons vulnerability and depth; Guilfoyle’s subtlety in playing the part makes us crave a sequel.
Meanwhile, Taylor Gray’s Steve is akin to a J. Alfred Prufrock finding himself in grunge surrounds circa now. The woman he pines for has a narcissist abuser streak there for all to see— all except Steve. Steve’s childhood buddy is plagued by being a rockstar without musical talent but lots of the je ne sais quoi of stardom. Add to that a host of other losers in the criminal gang and you’ve got the recipe of Any Day Now’s secret sauce—lovable quirky characters galore.
If you like quirky characters who are always astigmatic stereotypes, Any Day Now will not disappoint. If you are more comfortable with linear narratives and like your heist movies with great chase scenes and maybe some bang-bang shoot ‘em ups— this is not your film.
RECOMMENDED
CAST:
Paul Guilfoyle (L.A. Confidential)
Taylor Gray (Saturday Night)
Alexandra Templer ("Only Murders in the Building")
Thomas Kee (Blow the Man Down)
Armando Rivera (Wolves)
CREATIVE TEAM:
Written and Directed by Eric Aronson
Produced by Eric Aronson, Mark Donadio, Dana Scott, Emily Sheehan
Executive Produced by Jan Egleson, Paul Guilfoyle
Images courtesy of ANY DAY NOW Film
About the Author: Amy Munice
Amy Munice is Editor-in-Chief and Co-Publisher of Picture This Post. She covers books, dance, film, theater, music, museums and travel. Prior to founding Picture This Post, Amy was a freelance writer and global PR specialist for decades—writing and ghostwriting thousands of articles and promotional communications on a wide range of technical and not-so-technical topics.
