Cory Stillman
BenDavid Grabinski‘s Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice opens with a Billy Joel song, and features Papa Roach’s “Last Resort” only minutes later.
Not even halfway through its runtime, I could tell I was going to like this film (as did Joey, which you can see in his review here).
But what makes those needle drops so effective is not Billy Joel’s lyrical brilliance or the tongue-in-cheek nostalgia for a nu-metal staple; it is Grabinski’s clever implementation of these tunes into his twisty sci-fi crime caper. Indeed, Grabinski understands that the best songs are not used as emotional shortcuts or sales tools, but rather legitimate storytelling devices.
“Music is the most gut-oriented part of the process,” says Grabinski. “You have an opportunity to make the thing the most personal and the most specific.”
The director certainly strives for that kind of specificity with Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice. That opening Billy Joel number? It’s “Why Should I Worry?” from the 1988 animated Disney film Oliver & Company, far from the legendary singer-songwriter’s most famous tune. And because the song is performed by Ben Schwartz (perfectly channeling his work as Yasper in the criminally underrated Apple TV series The Afterparty), Grabinski and his team had to secure the rights to that song well in advance of shooting. But that kind of legwork is one of the filmmaker’s most cherished parts of an often grueling process. By the time he arrived on set with the clearance for the song in hand, Grabinski already felt like a winner.
“Spending a whole night having Ben Schwartz sing a Billy Joel song from Oliver & Company is not a bad way to make a living,” he says.
The soundtrack to Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice may be a character in its own right, but Grabinski still credits much of his film’s success to its other colorful characters, not to mention the actors who bring them to life. Of course, there is the titular foursome played by James Marsden, Eiza González, and Vince Vaughn x2 – check out the full conversation below to hear the director rave about González’ career-best performance, as well as break down the film’s doubling of Vaughn’s Nick – but the film also stars a plethora of comedy icons both big and small. Beyond Schwartz, you also have Keith David, Jimmy Tatro, and Stephen Root all turning in terrific work in Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice.
Root is the lone actor for whom Grabinski wrote his role in particular, but the rest of the supporting rogues gallery all similarly tapped into that unique sense of sincerity and irreverence that makes Grabinski’s work so enjoyable.
“It’s about trying to find people who understand the intention behind the material,” says Grabinski. “A lot of it is about how someone responds to it and if they are keyed into the same approach you are trying to do.”
For audiences willing to accompany Grabinski and his team on that journey, Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice is sure to reward your eyes and your ears accordingly.
Check out our full conversation with the talented director below! We dive deeper into the film’s time travel mechanics as well as a few other casting choices.
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