Vince Vaughn (who also produced) stars as Nick, a career criminal who makes his living by planning heists. Because of the nature of his job, he has to keep a safe distance from his rebellious teenage daughter, Cate (Hailee Steinfeld). When his latest caper ends with the death of the leader of the Mexican drug cartel's son, Nick has to skip town in a hurry. The bad guys are after his daughter too, so Nick grabs Cate and together, they go on the lam. Thinking he’s a dead duck, Nick takes a big insurance policy out on himself with Cate as the beneficiary. The only problem is, he has to stay alive for the next three weeks in order for Cate to collect.
Directed by Peter Billingsley (Ralphie from A Christmas Story) and based on a graphic novel I never heard of, Term Life is a breezy little crime flick that coasts on the charm and charisma of its two leads. Sporting a terrible haircut (which he explains helps him blend in in a crowd), Vaughn dials it down a notch and gives his usual persona a paternal spin. He and Steinfeld have a nice rapport and their chemistry helps the film over some of its narrative hiccups.
Said hiccups occur mostly during the third act, which feels rushed and a tad anticlimactic. I don’t know if the studio cut a bunch of scenes out or what, but it certainly feels choppier than the first seventy-five minutes or so. The awkward narration also tries to cover some of the plot conveniences, although it’s really not enough to derail the movie or anything.
The supporting cast is solid all the way through. Jonathan Banks has some good scenes as Vaughn’s mentor. Vaughn’s Swingers co-star Jon Favreau is pretty funny as the guy who bankrolls his heists. Even small, throwaway roles are played by big names like Taraji P. Henson, Terrence Howard, and Mike Epps, which again leads me to believe they might’ve had larger roles that fell victim to the editing table. Bill Paxton, an actor I usually love, is a bit miscast and one-note as the villain, but that’s more the screenplay’s fault than his. Still, whenever Vaughn and Steinfeld are family bonding while dodging bullets, Term Life pays off big time.
AKA: Nick and Cate.
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