3 out of 5 stars (average)
This review originally appeared on The Illuminerdi May 14, 2o21
In a time where most major releases are large-scale blockbusters, I found Pixie a refreshing change of pace. It’s an amusing new crime film with quick pacing a good amount of humor, and a splash of quirkiness that makes for a fun, easy watch that should leave you with a pleasant smile. Pixie entertains with fun characters, clever writing, and a slight weird streak that should earn it a place among crime and dark comedy fans.
Dim-witted criminals Frank (Ben Hardy) and Harland (Daryl McCormack) hope to get lucky with local girl Pixie (Olivia Cooke) and follow her home. When a guy shows up with a gun outside, they run him over and discover 15 kilos of MDMA. Unfortunately, Pixie soon comes calling to inform them the drugs belong to unforgiving gangster priests who are just as comfortable with sermons as they are shotguns. With a corpse in trunk and gangster priests in pursuit, the panicked trio heads for the hills.
Pixie has an offbeat energy that helps it stick out from the crowd. Olivia Cooke showed promise in Bates Motel and Ready Player One, but Pixie proves she’s ready for leading roles with a solid screen presence and comic timing. Alec Baldwin is enjoyably batty as the lead villainous priest, but his role is essentially an extended cameo despite heavy prominence in the trailer. Also, the climax feels slightly hampered by budgetary constraints, but the scene’s energy as well as the image of a nun firing a pump-action rifle are things I won’t soon forget. Pixie is a fun, funny, and enjoyably offbeat crime movie that provides a pleasant evening diversion. See Pixie.
Rated R for Violence, Language, Drug Content, And Some Sexual References