“Pixie” (2020) Film Review
By: Joseph Perry (Twitter - Uphill Both Ways Podcast)
If you have been longing for a caper comedy film that hearkens back to the heydays of Quentin Tarantino and Guy Ritchie, with perhaps a bit more accessibility than their trademark films, director Barnaby Thompson’s Pixie fits the bill. Bolstered by a fine, fun lead performance from Olivia Cooke (Thoroughbreds [2017], Ready Player One [2018], and the TV series Bates Motel [2013–2017]), the film serves up an infectious charm with a good deal of outlandish proceedings.
Set, as the opening intertitle proclaims, “Once upon a time in the west — of Ireland,” the story sees the titular character (Cooke) as a magnet for both trouble and the affections of men. The daughter of gangster father Dermit O’Brien (Colm Meaney), Pixie has a plan up her sleeve involving moving to San Francisco to attend art school that goes awry. Local lads Frank (Ben Hardy of Bohemian Rhapsody [2018] and X-Men: Apocalypse [2016) and Harland (Daryl McCormack) fall under her charming spell, and the three set off on a road trip to try and unload a large amount of illegal drugs — something that is way over most of their heads.
Meanwhile, incidents occur that stir up dormant bad blood between the O’Brien crime clan and a group of Catholic priests who dabble in illegal activities, led by Father Hector McGrath (Alec Baldwin). As crime film fans might guess, bitter feelings between rival gangs never stay under the surface for long, and that is certainly the case here.
Cooke absolutely shines as Pixie, an adventure-loving schemer who knows how to manipulate people and incidents in her favor. The actress has amusing chemistry with Hardy and McCormack, who get their own scenes to establish them as a solid comic duo. The trio’s road trip is a wild ride indeed, and the less known about the plot going in, the better — and what I have written here barely begins to describe the wackiness and many plot points that Pixie offers.
Barnaby Thompson, working from a screenplay by Preston Thompson, directs with flair. Pixie leans toward the comedy side of being a crime comedy, but it offers up a good deal of suspense and dramatic tension, as well, though those elements also favor a light-hearted approach. Fans of this subgenre who delight in charming, impish main characters should find plenty to enjoy with Pixie.
Pixie, from Saban Films and Paramount, will be available in select theaters, on Digital, and On Demand from March 5, 2021.
Joseph Perry is one of the hosts of When It Was Cool’s exclusive Uphill Both Ways podcast (whenitwascool.com/up-hill-both-ways-podcast/) and Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror: The Classic Era podcast (decadesofhorror.com/category/classicera/). He also writes for the film websites Diabolique Magazine (diaboliquemagazine.com), Gruesome Magazine (gruesomemagazine.com), The Scariest Things (scariesthings.com), Ghastly Grinning (ghastlygrinning.com), and Horror Fuel (horrorfuel.com), and film magazines Phantom of the Movies’ VideoScope (videoscopemag.com, which has now ceased publication because of the death of its editor/publisher Joe Kane but is available in back issues) and Drive-In Asylum (etsy.com/shop/GroovyDoom).
If you found this article interesting consider becoming a Patreon supporter. That is how When It Was Cool keeps our website and podcasts online, plus you get lots of bonus content including extra and extended podcasts, articles, digital comics, ebooks, and much more. Check out our Patreon Page to see what's up!
If you don't want to use Patreon but still want to support When It Was Cool then how about a one time $5 PayPal donation? Thank you!
