Directed by Barnaby Thompson
Written by Preston Thompson
Starring Olivia Cooke, Ben Hardy, Daryl McCormack, Colm Meaney and Alec Baldwin
Runtime: 93 minutes
In theaters and available digitally March 5

by Matthew McCafferty, Staff Writer

When you watch a lot of movies, you often go through long streaks watching quite a few movies within certain genres or styles. Most recently for me, it wasn’t so much a specific genre that I found myself watching, but more so a recent stretch of very heavy films with deep meanings and messages. Sometimes you just need something to come along to shake things up a bit. Without realizing it, Pixie was just the film I needed.  

Eccentric, violent and most importantly, a lot of fun, Pixie is a great change of pace for those looking for a 90-minute escape into the type of crime story that never takes itself too seriously. There’s no important message to decipher or any kind of underlying interpretations to work out. Just sit back, get away from the real world for a bit and go along for the ride with a terrific Olivia Cooke leading the way. 

Pixie Hardy (Olivia Cooke) orchestrates a drug heist using information that she gathered from her gangster stepfather, Dermont (Colm Meaney). The end result of the heist was meant to provide her with the financial means to leave Ireland on her way to starting a new life in San Francisco. When the heist doesn’t go to plan, she teams up with Frank (Ben Hardy) and Harland (Daryl McCormack), two local guys unrelated to the heist who happen to end up with the giant score of stolen drugs. Together, the three of them embark on a road trip across western Ireland in search of a big pay. To make things a little more interesting, criminal priests are on their trail to take back what was stolen from them.  

It’s not a film that will get praised for its originality. The plot, the characters and even its sleek stylistic approach are all things we’ve seen before. You might even think it’s a Guy Ritchie film if you come across this without knowing much about it. But the familiarity of these elements didn’t bother me. There’s an infectious kind of high energy that flows through the film. Director Barnaby Thompson leans on the heist gone wrong crime caper formula without straying too far from the comedic elements that make this film so fun. Along with the script penned by his son, Preston Thompson, the father-son duo go all in on the idea of delivering something that is meant to be nothing more than a good time at the movies (if you can safely get to a theater that is).

Even though it may sound like your typical highly stylized action comedy when you first read the plot description, there is a little more to it than that. For obvious reasons, Cooke’s character Pixie is developed more so than anyone else. As the story unfolds, we get a backstory that helps us understand more about what drives her actions. I won’t go into her motives, as it’s better not to know too much for those who haven’t seen it yet, but I will say that it was a relief to see that the entire story wasn’t just about stealing drugs and making lots of money. There is some emotional weight added to the plot once we learn a little more about Pixie’s past.

Olivia Cooke may not be a household name yet, but it’s likely only a matter of time until she gets more wide-spread recognition. She already has a couple big-name films under her belt, such as Ready Player One and Sound of Metal. She’s also slated to star in the Game of Thrones prequel series, House of the Dragon. And she might just be the top reason to watch Pixie. Cooke brings a toughness to the title character that is indisputable. Her performance provided Preston Thompson’s screenplay with just the spark it needed for his story to pay off. 

Among all of the chaos that takes place in this movie, there’s never a moment where Pixie doesn’t seem in control to some extent. Even in a scene where she is nearly choked to death by her crazy step brother, she puts on a smile and finds a way to get into his head to throw him off. While the character is written to be resilient, it’s Cooke who elevates the strength of Pixie with the kind of charisma and presence that will have you waiting for her next move in every scene.

Alec Baldwin (who plays Father McGrath) showing up to the final showdown eating an ice cream cone is one last little reminder that this movie shouldn’t be taken too seriously. And yes, you can probably predict most of the ending. But as I mentioned before, none of the faults of this movie ever hold it back from being such a good time. Sometimes that’s all we need from a movie every now and then.