TIFF 2025 Review: Easy’s Waltz

After spending years as a minor hit in Las Vegas, a crooner gets an opportunity at the big time with a legendary promoter who is not afraid to use violence as a means of intimidation.

Considered a raw talent, Easy (Vince Vaughn) has been barely making a living as a casino manager and crooner in Las Vegas.  When a performing act starts sexually harassing one of his employees, Easy lets his temper get the best of him and punches the perpetrator, resulting in him getting terminated.  Another opportunity arises, orchestrated by his brother Sam (Simon Rex), who doubles as his manage,r which inadvertently leads to Easy getting a shot at stardom when he meets Mickey Albano (Al Pacino), a promoter with major connections.  Trouble ensues when Sam decides to commit fraud against Mickey, who is not afraid to use gangster tactics to keep everyone in line, which results in Easy having to choose between his family or career.

Not quite sure that Vince Vaughn is believable as a crooner with an apparently amazing voice but cursed with bad luck, a no-nonsense attitude, and a wayward younger brother; he certainly has a stage presence, however, the singing is lacks emotional conviction.  You would think there would be an electric onscreen chemistry with Vince Vaughn, Al Pacino, Kate Mara, Mary Steenburgen, and Simon Rex taking centre stage, but the cast feel like they are simply going through the motions.  Pacino is a pale and overweight imitation of his most famous role of Michael Corleone, so much so that when he threatens to break bones, it comes across as a ‘whatever’ moment.   And Mary Steenburgen plays the role as the typical bad mother who is only present to make you feel sorry for the main character.

Given that Nic Pizzolatto was responsible for creating the edgy and daring True Detective series for HBO, it is surprising that the narrative comes across as a pedestrian paint-by-numbers affair.   The production values are top notch but cannot compensate for the false notes felt throughout the movie that undercut any sense of tension or concern for what happens next to the characters.  Not sure if this is a missed opportunity or simply a misadventure for Pizzolatto because the storytelling is fundamentally lacking creative inspiration.

The 50th Toronto International Film Festival runs September 4-14, 2025, and for more information visit tiff.net.    

Trevor Hogg is a freelance video editor and writer who currently resides in Canada; he can be found at LinkedIn.