Movie Review: Focus Is a Good Time at the Movies

Focus, coming to theaters this Friday, is the story of two con-artists.

Nicky, aka Mellow (Will Smith) was raised in the business of grifts and theft. Jess (Margot Robbie) is new to the con and not very good yet. She manages to charm Nicky into letting her on the team.

Nicky and his cohorts train Jess in everything from picking pockets to stealing identities. They spend a wild week taking from people everywhere they meet, and starting to fall in love. Until Nicky abandons Jess with no explanation.

Three years later, a chance encounter in Buenos Ares brings up old feelings, while threatening Nicky's current job and Jess' new life. Can the two of them make it work? Or will they make each other lose focus?

Focus is a better movie than the trailers present it to be. A humorous thriller that leaves the audience rooting for the bad guys. Probably inspired by Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, the movie does its best to keep the audience guessing at the character's motivations and what is actually happening.

Unfortunately, that does not keep it from being predictable, as the audience is taught in the first few minutes that things are rarely what they seem, accidentally encouraging them to guess.

Will Smith gives his typically good performance. He is often at his best when he gets to be charming, and this is no exception. Matching him every step of the way is Margot Robbie, clearly having as much fun as her character. Her work in Focus makes it fairly clear why she was recently cast as Harley Quinn in the upcoming Suicide Squad movie. (And for those of you wondering about the chemistry between Harley and Deadshot, Focus should put any fears to rest.) Earning as many laughs as both Smith and Robbie combined is Adrian Martinez as Fahad, one of Nicky's partners in crime.

The first half of the movie is the stronger half. The audience learning the art of the grift along with Jess is interesting and fun. Nicky has a large and organized team, so there are many opportunities to see them setting up elaborate cons and thefts. Alongside this acting is the love story between Nicky and Jess, which is charming and sweet.

Near the end of this sequence is the best scene in the movie, an exciting and tense sequence featuring B.D. Wong playing very against type and clearly having a ball. The second half, when they reunite, is a bit slower and lighter on laughs. The stakes are higher, but it takes too long to get to the exciting part.

There are also a few moments during the film that feel almost too manipulative on behalf of the filmmakers. Moments of overdone romantic music, or too many revelations in a single scene risk pulling the viewer out of the story.

All in all, Focus is a fun film with a lot of laughs, some romance, and a few thrills. Not the sort of film that wins awards, but certainly a good time at the movies.