I love to drive. I’ve been doing it since I was ten. I also love cars which is of course, convenient to the act of driving… So I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see the movie Baby Driver. It’s about a young guy who is the getaway driver for a band of bank thieves… well, It’s more like he’s the getaway driver for one guy who’s the ring leader and the various characters he brings in to complete the jobs… But of course, the driving is the best part…

Story: Baby is his name and he drives. Like me, he started driving at an early age and found his comfort zone behind the wheel. There’s also an attempt at a love story in this film. It’s sweet, but, doesn’t get all the way there. Some part of it just didn’t click for me. I was more interested to hear about his backstory with his foster father Joseph, played by C J Jones…

In some way, I compare all driving scenes in movies to the original driving movie – Ronin. Even The Transporter and The Bourne franchises treat the love interests with brevity to focus on the crimes. I’m going to deduce that since Baby Driver is young love, the writers wanted to give it more of a presence. Presence noted, but not really appreciated…

Performances: Ansel Elgort as Baby is exactly right. He doesn’t look like a criminal… but he certainly drives like one. He’s a new, fresh face in Hollywood and like Miles Teller, will have more than enough offers to keep him busy while he grows as an actor.

Kevin Spacey is Doc, the ring leader who has a special relationship with Baby. Both completely unassuming… Both highly effective at what they do. Kevin Spacey’s performance is his usual dead-pan, matter-of-fact smart-guy-in-charge.

The only other performances of note are Jon Hamm as Buddy and Eiza Gonzales as his wife Darling. They like Baby in a protective kind of way, in stark contrast to Jamie Foxx as Bats and Jon Bernthal as Griff, who spend most of their screen time trying to figure out Baby. They exist only as annoying wise guys…

Visual: The driving scenes are clearly very technical. Baby’s ability to get from one situation to another in a car is fun to watch. LA looks like LA. But, the wardrobe team should be commended for creating unique visual personas for each of the players.

Rating: I’m giving Baby Driver a B+. As we know, I’m not much for Hollywood blockbusters – and this was not that. Stories of substance are always my style, but in this case, Lily James as Debora – Baby’s love interest – didn’t move me. The driving did and Baby’s backstory with Joseph did, but, there’s not enough. I would rather have heard more of that story…

Baby Driver is a great movie to see on DVD when you’re in the mood for some precision maneuvers via automobile… Worth seeing.