After serving 28 years in prison for accidentally killing the son of a crime boss, newly paroled gangster Val reunites with his former partners in crime, Doc and Hirsch, for a night on the town. As the three men revisit old haunts, reflect on their glory days and try to make up for lost time, one wrestles with a terrible quandary: Doc has orders to kill Val, and time is running out for him to figure out a way out of his dilemma.
Thematic inconsistencies abound as Stevens aims for a tone somewhere between Grumpy Old Men, The Hangover, and Goodfellas.
– Drew Hunt,
Chicago Reader,
4 Feb 2013
fresh:
Some actors don't need top-shelf material. Just the pleasure of their company is enough. And so Al Pacino, Christopher Walken and Alan Arkin turn the insubstantial Stand Up Guys into solid entertainment.
– Peter Travers,
Rolling Stone,
2 Feb 2013
fresh:
It's just fun to watch Pacino, Walken and Arkin work together, very much enjoying the shared experience. Seeing Stand Up Guys is an offer you could easily refuse, but hey, why fight it?
– Peter Howell,
Toronto Star,
1 Feb 2013
fresh:
If you don't think Al Pacino still has it in him, this is a welcome chance to be proved wrong.
– Mick LaSalle,
San Francisco Chronicle,
1 Feb 2013
rotten:
Is it fun? Sure, some of the time. Is it good? That's a stretch. Does it tap the potential of these three actors? Fuggedaboutit.