9/12 ForReel Score | 3.5/5 Stars

Few subgenres have stood the test of time like the buddy comedy. Between classics such as Planes, Trains, and Automobiles or contemporaries like Project Hail Mary, the buddy comedy is not only a cinematic landmark but also one of cinema’s most malleable subgenres. Whether they're criminals, time-travelers, or just a couple of best buds, there are endless possibilities when you put two (or more) friends in a sticky situation. It’s nice to kick back and hang out with a movie for an hour or two, which is why I had such a good time with Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice. An unabashedly charming joyride courtesy of writer-director BenDavid Grabinski, Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice is an inspired genre blend of action, time-travel, and buddy comedy with a distinct yet familiar touch.

When “Quickdraw” Mike (James Marsden) takes up a kidnapping job alongside his mafioso buddy Nick (Vince Vaughn), he swiftly learns that not only is Nick from the future, but they have to kidnap Nick’s past (present?) self. Plus, Mike is engaged in an affair with Nick’s wife, Alice (Eiza González). And, if the conundrum wasn’t already a powder keg, Mike is marked for death by his mob boss, Sosa (Keith David). If you think I’m spoiling anything, I should note that that’s only the first fifteen minutes of the movie. What follows is an action-packed crime comedy that, while imperfect, never overstays its welcome. Bolstered by snappy dialogue, great setpieces, and excellent leading performances, Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice jam-packs its 107-minute runtime with as much concentrated fun as one could muster.

Aside from being thoroughly entertaining, Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice’s best quality is how it takes from other films without feeling like a rip-off. It’s not every day that a movie includes visual homages to both the cinema of Wong Kar-Wai and the 2003 Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake within five minutes, but that’s the magic of Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice. Cribbing from the likes of Edgar Wright (Grabinski helmed the Scott Pilgrim miniseries Scott Pilgrim Takes Off), Quentin Tarantino, John Woo, Martin McDonagh, and, of course, Elaine May’s Mikey and Nicky, Grabinski’s filmmaking somehow horseshoes into a singular creative vision while remaining indebted to its influences. For better or worse, it’s a movie for cinephiles by cinephiles, although there’s never a sense of things feeling too inside baseball.

Best known as Scott “Cyclops” Summers in the Foxverse X-Men movies (he returns to the role this December in Avengers: Doomsday), James Marsden seemed to drop off the radar for a few years. As of the 2020s, Marsden’s only notable roles have consisted of an assassinated U.S. president in Paradise and the human sidekick in the Sonic the Hedgehog films—a far cry from the international heartthrob status he once held. After what felt like an eternity, Marsden is finally back in the saddle with a leading role, an opportunity that he doesn’t take for granted. Outside of his natural charm, Marsden’s also a formidable action star and a great physical comedian, complemented wonderfully by not one, but two Vince Vaughns.

I have a weird relationship with Vince Vaughn (aside from his conservative politics). Many know Vaughn as a comedy titan from classics like Dodgeball and The Wedding Crashers—except for me. My first encounter with Vaughn was in Steven Spielberg’s The Lost World: Jurassic Park, a more mature outing in which he played a photojournalist and animal rights activist. I’ve since familiarized myself with his more serious roles in S. Craig Zahler’s Brawl in Cell Block 99 and Dragged Across Concrete, with Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice feeling like a middle ground between Vaughn’s disparate range in both action and comedy. Playing both present and future Nick, Vaughn’s given so much more to work with than usual, simultaneously having chemistry with Marsden and also himself.

As a package deal, Marsden and Vaughn are a match made in heaven. Marsden’s out-of-his-depth demeanor contrasts with Vaughn’s more calculated approach, creating tension and humor in equal measure. As good friends Mike and Nick are, Mike’s affair with Alice sets a collision course in motion. Alice is simultaneously the glue that holds Mike and Nick together and the catalyst for their strain, giving Eiza González a fun tightrope to walk between Vaughn and Marsden. The resulting quasi-throuple is as endearing as it is hilarious, as I could watch these three go on tangents about Gilmore Girls for hours. Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice already sports a killer trio, but the addition of Keith David and Jimmy Tatro as the film’s antagonists is the cherry on top.

As one would hope with an action-comedy, you best believe that Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice is a total romp. Gunfights play out with a mix of John Wick-style physical comedy and John Woo-esque bullet ballet, with kills that range from brutal to outright cartoonish. Brawls are scrappy but well-choreographed, as BenDavid Grabinski’s sense of space complements the action tremendously. In an unexpected case of the student becoming the teacher, Grabinski’s got that same verve that Edgar Wright’s The Running Man adaptation sorely missed, bringing that playful Hot Fuzz spunk that is nothing short of delightful. There's even an excellent inertia to the physical slapstick, as the violence is brutal and silly in equal measure. In short: it's a bloody good time.

If we lived in a world where everything was fair, Searchlight would be sending Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice to theaters rather than dumping it on Hulu. In true time-traveling fashion, it's a throwback and a contemporary action flick rolled into one—the type of movie that would've sold out stadiums in the late 90s. BenDavid Grabinski wants nothing more than to entertain, and entertain me he did. Even if Vince Vaughn does most of the heavy lifting, I’m happy to see James Marsden in a leading role like this after what feels like an eternity. Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice isn't going to blow anyone away, and that's okay. Rueful as I am of the modern streaming landscape, I eagerly look forward to watching this again with my buds, the way Grabinski intended.

SXSW 2026 | Movie Review: "Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice" & An All Around Good Time