The Pay Day *1/2 (out of 5) (NR) Comedy heist flicks can be a real treat. When blended with a rom-com, even moreso. But only if you have a sufficiently twisty script, and leading actors who click on-screen. Sam Benjamin and Kyla Frye are attractive enough, but the script they co-wrote for themselves does no favors for the acting side of their careers in the allure of the heist or the chemistry between the characters they play.
Frye is a London tech whiz unfairly fired after performing a major overhaul of a large company’s computer system. Broke and desperate, she’s recruited (and snidely coerced) by a shady fellow (Simon Callow) to break into a very secure establishment and hack its system to get the key for recovering 500 million euros embezzled over time by a bunch of crooked politicians. Her promised 1% share will relieve all sorts of imminent pressures she’s facing…and then some.
From the get-go, nothing about the plan occurs as expected. Among the complications is the appearance of Benjamin’s character, whose identity and motives are unclear. But Frye soon learns he’s hell-bent on snatching the “flashy” drive she made containing the valuable data. Most of the running time involves the two of them clashing, alternating in the upper-hand position, while avoiding the building’s security forces, and possibly falling for each other.
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That may seem like a lot, but it doesn’t feel that way. Frye’s path from getting canned to accepting the challenge is up to snuff. But all that occurs within the barren walls of the targeted building grows tedious, and the temptation the characters are supposed to be feeling about their rivals never rings true. The script just isn’t exciting enough to support the potential appeal of the two stars and the premise. Even worse, the film ends at a point that seems to have been dictated by budget, rather than completion. Not a satisfying example of success in this genre.
(The Pay Day opens in selected theaters on 11/14/22, and is available On Demand as of 11/11/22)