Doesn’t Add Up
‘THE ACCOUNTANT’ TRAILER REVIEW BY METRO CREW
An autistic mathematical genius, Christian Wolff (Ben Affleck) has a side gig cooking the books for dangerous criminals. But then the government begins to suspect his double life and Wolff has to … become a hit man? Honestly, we’re not really sure — we think it just seems like there is too much going on here. The film doesn’t look quite sure what it wants to be. The Accountant opens in wide release Oct. 14.
JAIMIE: I don’t even know where to begin with this one. There is so much going on in this trailer, and while I think the movie is completely serious about this killer accountant, I just can’t.
CHRISTINA: Overall, this movie looks forgettable. Nothing in the trailer was particularly intriguing — unless you count the Radiohead song.
NICOLE: Christian Wolff’s characteristics of being socially awkward and not knowing the right things to say during a conversation is exactly what I think Ben Affleck is like in real life. The only difference is that Wolff is intellectually brilliant and a gun-enthused badass. Affleck seems dull.
JAIMIE: Admittedly, I did like the fact that Ben Affleck was a stealth accountant for criminals. How wealthy criminals hide and use their money is fascinating. But then you have Ben Affleck who also is socially awkward — which seriously suits him, let’s be real — and also trains with military-grade weapons? And then Anna Kendrick shows up undoubtedly as his love interest, who doesn’t shy away from awkward Ben Affleck and then of course gets swept into whatever the hell is going on.
CHRISTINA: I guess I seem to be alone in not being able to buy Ben Affleck as someone so socially awkward. He always seemed smarmy and cocky to me.
PAIGE: After watching Affleck as the Batfleck, I kind of like him. The right mix of cocky and damaged.
CHRISTINA: Also, I am really annoyed how Hollywood keeps pairing older men with younger women ALL THE TIME. I don’t know anyone who is dating a man 15-20 years older, but yet in movies, that seems to be the only sort of romantic pairing that exists.
PAIGE: I thought Anna Kendrick was a little out of place here because she’s so … peppy. She’s still sunny Anna Kendrick even in this gray-palate film. It felt jarring. Maybe that’s what they were going for, but it’s so tied to her image that it just feels lazy. I do not feel they will go full romance here. They will imply it, and maybe he’ll get a kiss before he probably dies, but they will not go full romance.
NICOLE: I am kind of confused on why he’s on this revenge mission to screw over the assassins and drug dealers using their finances … And if he’s so socially awkward, to the point where it was stated he couldn’t live a normal life, how does he find his way into the inner circles of these bad guys? How does he charm his way into their hearts enough to trust doing business with him?
CHRISTINA: I agree. The trajectory of his character does not seem clear.
PAIGE: I actually feel like this film might do well though, because a million other people will be like me and wonder, “So if I watch this, will I get a feel for the solo Batman film?” and then … boom, bank.
