A polarizing generational crime caper hijacks the streaming charts

Twitter regularly gives off the impression that we’re locked in some kind of cross-generational war, with millennials and Gen Z throwing insults and critiques back and forth, while the laid-back Gen Xers stay out it entirely, all while the shared disdain towards boomers acts as the only unified front.

That might go some way to explaining why co-writer and director Seth Savoy’s crime story Echo Boomers has proven to be so polarizing since releasing on-demand in November 2020, with a 36% Rotten Tomatoes score paling in comparison to a 94% user rating.

Michael Shannon plays the ringleader of a heist crew comprised entirely of disillusioned college students, who steal valuable works of art owned by Chicago’s wealthiest residents, even if they do have a habit for trashing anything they come across that isn’t worth a pretty penny.

There’s definitely the potential for a great movie in Echo Boomers somewhere, but Savoy never really manages to successfully straddle the tonal balance between social commentary on wealth, class, and generational divide, a stylish crime caper, or a hard-hitting drama loosely inspired by real events, to name but three of the unwieldiest elements.

However, that hasn’t stopped the divisive Echo Boomers from scoring a spot on HBO Max’s most-watched list, as per FlixPatrol. It’s an uneven movie that nobody can seem to agree on, so you might have to see it for yourself to form an opinion.