Memorial Day I went to see The Machine movie, having no idea what it would be about. A pleasant surprise it was, a rare blend of comedy plus action adventure. The Machine has an allure that holds on to you until the very end. The Machine contains heavy adult humor jokes so definitely not for children.
Terrific comic actor who plays The Machine is a complete unknown to me. He deserves an award as the central figure that holds this convoluted plot together. Among the supporting actors is a beautiful lady who plays a charming Russian assassin.
Cleverly injected into the plot is a long-simmering estrangement between The Machine and his elderly father. Entering into the family dynamics is a difficult relationship between the main character and his older daughter. Comical dialogue between The Machine and his therapist, where he had dragged the entire family to visit his therapist to show them the progress he was making.
Throughout the movie there are flashbacks between The Machine in his present life and his younger self. Several years earlier in his youth, The Machine had gone to visit Russia as part of a college student group. During his stay in Russia The Machine had gone through bouts of drunken foolishness which he still regrets. He had gotten drunk with the Russian mafia in a wild party aboard a train. He robbed one passenger of a valuable heirloom watch, and now the passenger’s daughter had shown up to claim it.
Trying to make amends with his older daughter, The Machine throws a sweet sixteen party for her and invites a lot more people than she wanted. Mad daughter leaves the party with friends, just then the Russian lady arrives demanding her father’s watch or else. He doesn’t even remember and she forces him to return to Russia and find it or his daughter will be killed. The Machine movie is not to be missed.