Directed by BenDavid Grabinski — Screenplay by BenDavis Grabinski.
BenDavid Grabinski’s Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice takes place in a somewhat goofy version of an organized crime world, wherein we meet Quick-Draw Mike (played by James Marsden), who has fallen in love with Alice (played by Eiza Gonzalez). Alice, however, is married to another member of the crime world, Nick (played by Vince Vaughn), who, unbeknownst to Mike, has framed Mike as a so-called rat. Things take a strange turn when Mike agrees to help Nick complete a job. The thing is, Nick needs Mike to chloroform someone who just so happens to look exactly like Nick. Why? Well, one of the two Nicks has used a time machine to stop his past self from making the worst mistake of his life.
I had heard quite a few good things about BenDavid Grabinski’s sophomore feature directorial effort, Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice. So, when ‘play’ was pressed on the Disney+ TV app, I was quietly excited to see their latest straight-to-Hulu action-comedy flick (with a sci-fi sprinkling of a time-travel element). Indeed, I — and two of my best friends, with whom I saw it — were treated to a fairly good time. The sci-fi action-comedy with an overlong title is, however, not itself overlong. Despite being divided into neat sections, with on-screen chapter headings (The Party, The Afterparty, etc.), the film never outstays its welcome, even though there is a little bit of a lull in the pacing once all four title characters unite to discuss the goings-on.
I mentioned that the sci-fi element is mostly sprinkled on top here, and what I mean by that is that, even though time-travel makes the foundation of the film (and they discuss the mechanics of said time-travel somewhat), the action and comedy elements are what make the film what it is. What you’ll remember as the film comes to a close, and extended, or deleted, scenes play alongside the end credits, are the comedic references to things like a certain Christina Aguilera track or the TV show Gilmore Girls, as well as the surprisingly well-realized action spread throughout the film. Both the early combat scene between Marsden’s Quick-Draw Mike and one of the two Nicks played by Vaughn, as well as the third-act action explosion of gunfire and whatnot, showcase that Grabinski knows how to present action in a way that makes it feel exciting.
Performance-wise, Vince Vaughn turns in a credible dual-role performance as both Nicks, with one truly feeling more mature and wise than the other. It isn’t exactly at the level of the best dual-role performances from 2025, which had so many (like Dylan O’Brien in Twinless, Robert Pattinson in Mickey 17, and the Oscar-winning performance from Michael B. Jordan in Sinners), but Vaughn is really good in this, and whenever he blurts out a reference is when it worked best for me. Of the three actors playing the four titular roles, Vaughn does the most memorable work, but both Marsden and Gonzalez turn in solid work. I do also want to highlight the appearances from Stephen Root, Jimmy Tatro, and Keith David, all of whom know exactly what role they’re meant to play here, and they do so well. There’s also a really well-executed twist in this film that really took me by surprise, so if you think the title and the trailer removed every surprise from the film, then I’d say you’re wrong.
It isn’t a perfect sci-fi action comedy, and I have some nitpicks. For one, as mentioned earlier, I do think the aforementioned lull threatens to take the wind out of the film’s sails. But, in addition to that, there are a few choices that don’t fully work. The puzzling choice to, every so often, insert this slow-mo-esque, stuttering, and choppy frame-speed change took me out of the experience of watching the film. Then there’s the soundtrack. Even though I enjoy all of the music here, there is one moment when it feels like they threw every song they considered for a scene into the same sequence, which, to me, on first viewing, was a little bit distracting. I also have some issues with the ending, which I can’t discuss without spoiling the film, but I will say that there is this one element in there that felt like a cheat, which, to me, ruined the emotional weight of the final scenes. That being said, I had a pretty good time with this film, and I’m excited to see what BenDavid Grabinski does next.
6.5 out of 10
– Review written by Jeffrey Rex Bertelsen.
I'm Jeffrey Rex 