Pain and Gain - B

Rated R, 129 minutes

Darkly entertaining, overlong "Pain and Gain" is the American Dream on steroids

The Rock, Mark Wahlberg, Anthony Mackie

Some stories are so over-the-top it's hard to believe they're true. That's the approach taken by the entertaining "Pain and Gain," that's part true crime story and part dark comedy. Directed by Michael Bay, it has an overly familiar "Bad Boys" vibe that's much too drawn out, but nonetheless it's an engaging tale. Miami bodybuilders Daniel Lugo (Mark Wahlberg), Adrian Doorbal (Anthony Mackie) and Paul Delgado (Dewayne "The Rock" Johnson) decide to take the American dream to the next level when they kidnap a despicable millionaire (Tony Shaloub) and take everything he has. Known as the Sun Gym Gang, the trio have considerable brawn and little brains, they soon find their world crumbling when a smart detective (Ed Harris) starts tracking them. "Pain and Gain" is a well-acted, dark tale of crime and a satisfying character piece that's mostly played for laughs, much of it at the expense of these lame-brained criminals, who were eventually caught and imprisoned for their crimes. Based on a true story out of Florida in the 1990s, it's one of those your-not-gonna-believe-it-but-it's true kinda stories that filmmakers love to make, with little room to embellish. Though drawn out at about 20 minutes too long, Bay and company provide some funny along with some excruciatingly brutal moments (dismemberment among them) to keep the film moving along with some energy. All three leads, particularly The Rock, are believable, though it's the stellar supporting cast who (no pun intended) steal this show. "Monk's" Shaloub is particularly memorable as the vile rich guy they kidnap, as is comedian Rob Corddry and "Pitch Perfect's" Rebel Wilson, as the gym manager and the wife of one of the criminals, respectively. Ed Harris is also strong but underused as a likable real-life detective named Ed DuBois, who interestingly in real life has capitalized on his own fame (also a musician, he wrote and performs a song called "Pain and Gain - Retribution Song" on his website). With an overlong midsection that could've certainly been shaped up in the editing room, "Pain and Gain" is a fun, darkly shaded character piece speaking to the American Dream on steroids. Worth a look.

Wes's Grade: B