TORONTO – Written and directed by Nic Pizzolatto, the creator of HBO’s crime series “True Detective,” “Easy’s Waltz” is a show business showdown between those who have ambition and those who hold power. The film’s leading star, Vince Vaughn, takes an uncharacteristically somber turn to bring his character Lew to the stage. His role is that of a world-weary man tired of fighting but not yet given up the fight. Vaughn’s performance is formidable even if the movie around him doesn’t quite rise to the occasion.
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Things have not always been easy for Lew (Vaughn). After a difficult childhood and a promising early singing career, real life made other demands, and the would-be performer had to take on restaurant shifts while crooning through the night with his band. It’s a journey his rascally brother Sam (Simon Rex) has also been a part of since the start. After a series of setbacks and the loss of his day job, a chance performance in front of Mickey (Al Pacino), one of the top bookers in the industry, helps set Lew on course for his biggest break in years – if only his temper and wayward brother don’t mess up the deal.

On the surface, “Easy’s Waltz” shares much in common with last year’s comeback story with Pamela Anderson and “The Last Showgirl.” Their characters are performers who are no longer prized by showbiz and have to fight to keep their hard-scrabble Vegas careers going despite changing tastes. Like Anderson, Vaughn is fully committed to showing Lew, who goes by Easy on stage, with both his commendable traits and flaws. Although Vaughn’s singing is pretty flat, his interactions with Sam and Mickey are where he truly shines. Lew tries to be the good guy, even if his temper gets the best of him. He’ll defend a waitress to the detriment of his day job, and he’ll defend his brother to Mickey even if he has suspicions about his two-timing ways.
Meanwhile, Lew is also trying to navigate the way Mickey is carting him around town to be mean for sport and trying to modernize his act with dance numbers and show girls, embodying the anxiety of mid-career and up professionals trying to fit in and keep up with the next generation. For the modest lounge crooner who dreamed of Vegas stardom, this was not what he envisioned for himself and his band. Vaughn wrestles with his character’s insecurities and meekness with a subtle touch, ready to throw a punch if Lew’s temper calls for it. The performance makes for one of Vaughn’s most interesting roles in years.
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As Sam, Rex is back in form as an unscrupulous cad. The actor, who broke out in Sean Baker’s “Red Rocket,” tries to push his luck as a manager to negotiate better terms for his brother, like a gambler who can’t quite read the cards until he’s about to lose. Rex’s character also has the habit of falling in love easily, something that gets him in trouble when he tries to court Mickey’s younger friend, Lucy (Kate Mara). With high arched eyebrows and a Cheshire Cat grin, Rex’s Sam always looks like he’s up to no good even when sitting on the sidelines. Pacino is less expressive than Mickey, more of a caricature of how a crooked hotshot booker may misbehave. He’s benevolent to a point where the end of his patience usually translates into violence. While Vaughn’s performance is meant to invoke Lew’s beaten-down spirit, Pacino’s act looks tired, happy to send a gang of muscular goons to handle Mickey’s problems.

“Easy’s Waltz” also marks a reunion for Pizzolatto and Vaughn, who previously worked together on the hit second season of “True Detective.” It’s a big key change from their previous work together, but Pizzolatto and Vaughn hit some high notes in “Easy’s Waltz,” especially when giving Vaughn the space to feel through Lew’s many problems. However, at times, Pizzolatto and cinematographer Nigel Bluck try to mix up styles too noticeably, changing Lew’s time on stage into almost mini music videos or use the music to push the audience’s emotional buttons too hard as the director does during Lew’s intense rendition of “Little Drummer Boy” that’s shot in black and white. At the same time, his brother runs a Vegas scam that will land him running afoul of Mickey. It’s much too distracting from the human moments that make the film stand out.
Perhaps the reason stories like “The Last Showgirl” and “Easy’s Waltz” are so appealing lately is that many of us are feeling down on our luck or at the end of our rope. With our backs against the wall, do we keep fighting for a worn-out dream or finally let it go? For both Lew and Vaughn, the answer is to keep fighting for that spotlight, and instead of rolling over in defeat after many unkind years singing to a room that’s too drunk or sleepy to really listen, he gives a hell of a performance before reality can strike back. [C+]
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