Fun for all ages, The Bad Guys is a computer-animated, Tarantino-esque heist film that truly has something for everyone. 

 

My tween is at an age where she rejects most animated movies in favor of older-leaning fare, but The Bad Guys held her interest and kept us both laughing out loud in the theatre.

 

If the idea of a Tarantino-flavored kids movie sounds unlikely, I’m with you – but as a longtime Quentin film fan, I can tell you that they nailed it with The Bad Guys.

 

Sizzling-fast action, zippy dialogue, cool guys chatting in diners then rolling out to rob banks, a lead character known as “Mr. Wolf” and comic book style special effects add up to a zany heist caper that will keep parents as entertained as it does their offspring.

 

There are plenty of buddy-flick moments but The Bad Guys serves up a helping of girl power, too, thanks to standouts Awkwafina as Ms. Tarantula and Zazie Beats as Governor Foxington.

 

The Bad Guys are a crime crew with heart. As much-maligned critters – a wolf, a snake, a shark, a tarantula and a piranha – they realized early on that people see them as monsters no matter what they do, so they may as well focus on “friends, freedom and loot.”

 

The thing is, other than the robberies and car chases, these guys really aren’t so bad. 

 

The Bad Guys posits that there is a “flower of goodness” in all of us just waiting to blossom – and that while being bad feels pretty good sometimes, being good can feel even better.

 

Any kid who has ever felt judged or called a bad kid will relate to these characters – as will most adults. I won’t spoil the ending but I will say I’ve never seen a better use of weaponized guinea pigs in any film or TV show.

 

The Bad Guys is an animated comedy the adults will love as much as the kids – including those hard-to-please teenagers.