Baby Driver is a high-octane and highly entertaining action-comedy from the brilliant mind of filmmaker Edgar Wright. The film follows Baby, a getaway driver for a crime outfit who uses specific playlists as the soundtrack to his car chases. With news that a sequel might be on the way, now seems like a good time to look back on the greatness of Baby Driver.
Along with the action set-pieces and bouncing soundtrack, the fact that it is an Edgar Wright film means that Baby Driver is also a very quotable movie. Wright’s penchant for witty dialogue and call-backs are on full display here with some very memorable lines. Here are the best quotes from Baby Driver.
If you don’t see me again, it’s because I’m dead.
Jon Bernthal seems to be the reigning king of small parts in great movies. He appears in one-scene roles in things like Widows, Wind River, and Sicario. He pops up again in Baby Driver in a small but great role as Griff, an aggressive convict who is part of the film’s opening heist sequence.
After harassing Baby for his strange but effective tactics, the gang splits up until the next job. Griff’s gives the gang an odd parting line, saying “If you don’t see me again, it’s because I’m dead.” Sure enough, we never see Griff again.
Well, then, you have us all beat. Every damn song is about you. We could drive back and forth across the States forever and never run out of Baby songs.
When away from his criminal obligations, Baby begins forming a sweet romance with a young waitress named Deborah (Lily James). In keeping with the movie’s themes, the two first bond over music.
Baby and Deborah share a funny and genuinely interesting conversation about the lack of songs that feature the name Deborah. But when she finds out his name is Baby, she rightly points out that he wins that competition with a seemingly endless number of songs named after him.
The moment you catch feelings is the moment you catch a bullet.
As Baby continues to be brought in on more heists, he meets a lot of unsavory characters. Certainly, the most intimidating of the bunch is Bats (Jamie Foxx), an unhinged criminal who seems to love nothing more than finding himself in violent situations.
Bats quickly takes a disliking to Baby and seems him as far too soft for their dangerous line of work. Bats proves to be right as Baby prevents Bats from killing an innocent man during one of their jobs. The heroic move does put Baby in danger as Bats gives him a lesson in what compassion and mercy can get you in their line of work.
Who doesn’t like hats?
While Bats is the scariest criminal Baby is forced to work with, J.D. is certainly the dumbest of the crew members. Though he is suitably intense for the role of a bank robber, he is a clueless man who seems to mess up at every turn.
When Baby is first introduced to J.D. he remarks on the man’s neck-tattoo which reads “Hat”. J.D. explains that it used to say “Hate” but he changed it so as not to interfere with him getting a good job. His matter-of-fact reasoning of “Who doesn’t like hats?” is a hilarious display of how dumb this guy really is.
Sometimes all I want to do is head west on twenty in a car I can’t afford with a plan I don’t have. Just me, my music and the road.
Though Baby is not blameless in his life of crime, he is a good person being forced into a terrible situation. In that regard, his relationship with Deborah is very much a saving grace for him and seems like it was meant to be.
Like Baby, Deborah is looking to escape and they both represent a hope for each other that they can escape. Even if it is not literally escaping at first, they provide each other with a change from their undesirable life until the day they can hit the road together.
Here it is, Baby. Your killer track.
Playing somewhat against type in this film, Jon Hamm makes for an effective villain in this film as Buddy. When first introduced to him, Buddy is one of the more sympathetic criminals in Baby’s crew. He is nice to Baby and they both even bond over Baby’s so-called killer track, “Brighton Rock” by Queen.
After Baby causes a heist to go wrong and Buddy’s girlfriend is killed, Buddy becomes a madman who hunts Baby for his revenge. With “Brighton Rock” blaring from the speakers, Buddy confronts Baby with his very own killer track.
You rob to support a drug habit, I do drugs to support a robbery habit.
Buddy becomes an unhinged psycho when things fall apart, but Bats is a psycho from the start and very proud of it. However, as unstable and violent as he is, Bats is not a dumb man. He even manages to figure out Buddy’s backstory and what made him turn to a life of crime.
Bats’ seemingly accurate assessment of Buddy as his drug problem is impressive, but it only helps to highlight his madman persona. As he explains, “You rob to support a drug habit, I do drugs to support a robbery habit.” This is a man who has a genuine passion for a life of crime and that is scary.
Wait, wait, wait! I got to start the song over.
There are so many aspects of Baby Driver that should be praised, but the editing is something that stands out as truly amazing. The way each song fits perfectly with the action on screen is so entertaining and a testament to Wright’s creative mind.
The songs are also such an interesting part of Baby’s character and seem to be the thing that makes him forget the kind of terrible things he’s participating in. After one of the heists starts off on the wrong foot, Baby has the other criminals wait as he restarts the song so everything will be perfect.
F**k your Baby.
Bats really is one of Jamie Foxx’s most entertaining performances in a long time and he looks to be having a lot of fun with the antagonistic character. His total resentment of Baby gives the film a lot of energy and tension.
As Doc (Kevin Spacey) is breaking down the next job, Bats is annoyed that Baby is listening to music the entire time. Baby then proves how much of a professional he is by perfectly repeating everything that Doc just said. Impressed, Doc says “That’s my Baby” which Bats replies with a simple “F**k your Baby”.
This is Mike Myers.
Baby Driver is obviously made by people who love the heist movie genre. But just like Wright did with Shaun of the Dead, his love of the genre also allows him to poke fun at the more established beats of the genre.
One of the most memorable moments comes during a heist when J.D. provides the masks for the crew. While they were supposed to have HalloweenMichael Myers masks, J.D. got confused and chose Mike Myers Austin Powers masks. It’s a hilarious send-up of the familiar scenes in beloved movies and the whole thing was just a happy accident.
