Slick, smooth, stylish and steamy. Is Focus a great work of cinematic art? No — of course not. This is February, for heaven’s sake, and very little of any artistic merit is released this time of year. But is Focus a hot diversion on a cold winter’s night? Absolutely!

The stars, Will Smith, looking attractively scruffy and a bit older, and Margot Robbie, who dazzled us as Leonardo Dicaprio’s wife in The Wolf of Wall Street, are perfectly cast as a couple of scam artists looking for the ultimate score.  Smith plays Nicky Spurgeon, the more sophisticated and accomplished grifter–he’s Henry Higgins to Robbie’s wide-eyed but salty Eliza Doolittle, known in the film as Jess Barrett. Together in a sort of My UnFair Lady set up, they’re literally off to the races. They’re surrounded by an excellent and underrated cast including Rodrigo Santoro as a race car team owner, Gerald McRaney as his right hand man, and B.D. Wong playing an Asian high roller with glorious élan.

Glenn Ficarra and John Requa double teamed on screenplay and helming duties. They’ve worked together before on well-received comedies like Crazy, Stupid, Love, I Love You Philip Morris and Bad Santa (one of my favorite guilty pleasures). While this doesn’t have the blatantly comedic overtones some of their other works do, it has its wry moments, and it is indeed entertaining. We can forgive them the various tells that allow you to see certain plot points coming — perhaps they’re intentional, to allow audiences to feel as smart and savvy as the protagonists. And if some of those slight of hand scenes where Nicky, in particular, seems to be able to strip people almost down to their skivvies without them realizing it, seem impossible, it’s okay — it’s a movie, after all. For the delights of a clever plot and dazzling stars, we can allow ourselves to suspend disbelief.

Rated R

1 Hour 45 Minutes

Focus movie review