THE INHALE: REILLY JUST HIT “UNPAUSE”—AND HOLLYWOOD'S CIRCUIT BOARD FRIED
John C. Reilly just crashed back onto the big screen—seven years exiled, now joining David Leitch's “How to Rob a Bank.” Industry types? Losing their collective minds. The plot: A clutch of Gen Z bandits goes viral robbing banks, while Reilly—the ultimate chameleon—sidesteps every Hollywood algorithm trying to pin him down.
WHY THIS ISN'T JUST ANOTHER PAYCHECK MOVIE
Let's be blunt: Amazon MGM locked this for Labor Day weekend, aiming for a box-office riot. Savage detail? The film pairs Nicholas Hoult (genre wildcard) with a young cast already allergic to typecasting: Zoë Kravitz, Pete Davidson, Anna Sawai, Rhenzy Feliz. Mark Bianculli (“Hunters”) pens the script—expect more blood than plot holes.
What's wild: Reilly's resume doesn't read like anyone else's. One year he's screaming “Dewey Cox,” the next he's weeping in “Boogie Nights.” Put him with Leitch—the unhinged mind behind “Bullet Train”—and “How to Rob a Bank” could be Ocean's Twelve after ten vodka-Red Bulls.
REPEATING HISTORY, BUT GLITCHIER
Let's roll back the tape. Back in 2018, Reilly ran the table: “Stan & Ollie,” “Holmes & Watson,” “The Sisters Brothers,” and a giant sugar rush as Ralph's voice. Then? Static. Save for “Winning Time” (and those blink-and-you-miss-it cameos), Reilly disappeared. Now, like a cursed VHS tape, he's back—remixed for a TikTok age where heist movies go viral IRL.
Is this an echo of the ‘70s character actor revival? Absolutely. But nobody in that era was dropping into social-media bank robberies or ping-ponging from A24 indies to Amazon box-office plays within months. Even now, Reilly's got a Cannes western (“Heads or Tails”) hunting for distribution, and two other indies in post. Next year? Could be the year of deranged, genre-bending Reilly.
As one anonymous crew member “allegedly” muttered: “He showed up with a mustache, left with a TikTok account. The man's a shapeshifter.”
YOUR TURN: CELEBRATE OR RIOT?
Is Reilly's comeback genius, garbage, or something so cursed you can't look away? Would you rather watch this—or burn $20 outside your local AMC? No judgment. (Okay, a little judgment.)
