I love a good heist movie (though Ocean's 8 recently fell short of my expectations), and I love a good indie film, so I was looking forward to this one. It is also the first movie that MoviePass has had a hand in purchasing and distributing, so that upped our excitement even more, and we knew we definitely had to see this one!
American Animals follows the story of four young men as they plan a bold theft of some extremely rare books from the special collection at Transylvania University in Lexington, KY. It starts with a seed of an idea from Warren and Spencer, who then pull in two other friends. They are motivated by a desire to change their lives, to move beyond the mundane and ordinary existence that everyone has.
What makes the movie extra special is it is interspersed with interviews with the actual people the story is about. At the beginning it says this is not based on a true story, it is a true story. It was fascinating to see the real people behind it and just made it all the more obvious how spot on the acting was. The story was great, the acting was superb, and the direction was good. The only thing I felt was a little off was some of the pacing towards the end, I started to get just a little bored and ready for it to be done.
Overall I enjoyed it, and I would recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys heists, character studies, and true stories!