★★★☆☆

I gave The Death And Life of Bobby Z three stars but it was closer to 3.5. I realize that Paul Walker was a really nice guy with a charity that did good things. He even went out and helped build the houses or whatever. I just never found him to be that good of an actor. He does well in action scenes and movies with lots of action which is why he was a good fit in the Fast & Furious franchise.

The Death And Life of Bobby Z had a lot going for it. Laurence Fishburne always delivers a solid performance and he did not disappoint here. Honestly I put this movie on my streaming list because it had Olivia Wilde. Loved her as “13” in House. Yes, I’ve written about House before. Be happy that free streaming services have started carrying House.

Difficult to Review

This is one of those movies where it is difficult to review without giving away the hook of the original title. It is certainly a very watchable flick with pleasant surprises. Margo Martindale makes an appearance and that was a pleasant surprise. If you are of a certain age you will see and hear other familiar faces/voices. The guy playing head of security at the winery reminded me of Dr. Johnny Fever from WKRP in Cincinnati, but it wasn’t him.

I guess I have to start off with 12 year old me loving the fact Olivia Wilde rocks a bikini for much of her screen time. Oh, she can even act in this movie. I’m actually kind of saddened with some of the roles she’s had both before and after House. I’m talking about off-center kind of cheesy things like Cowboys & Aliens. Yes, I watched it. No plans to review it or watch it again.

There is Some Passable Action

It’s not John Wick action, but more than Fast & Furious. Olivia Wilde even gets in on some action. Laurence Fishburne doesn’t have a lot of action in the movie, but he does the psychological stuff pretty well.

Summary

I don’t feel cheated. If I was flipping through and it popped up I would probably watch it again. You can watch it free on Tubi now. Had I spent $50 to see it in a theater I would be walking funny when I left. Something I watched on a free streaming channel with commercials, it was definitely good enough.

For more movie rental ideas please see list one and list two.