SXSW 2026 Review: MIKE & NICK & NICK & ALICE, A Sci-Fi Action Gangster Hybrid With Heart

Mike (James Marsden) is done with the gangster life. He’s found a girl, he wants to settle down, and he’s ready to leave it all behind. There are a couple of problems, though. Number one, the girl, Alice (Eiza González), is already married to his partner, Nick (Vince Vaughn); and number two, he’s really, really good at killing people.

It’s that second part that leads Nick to call on him one last time to take care of some last-minute business, and while Mike is hesitant, he feels like he owes Nick and goes along for the ride. What Mike isn’t expecting is that the business at hand involves another Nick, and what began as a gangster story is now a time travel story, and shit is only going to get weirder in writer/director BenDavid Grabinski’s wildly entertaining sci-fi action hybrid Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice.

Before you come after me for spoiling a twist, the time travel element is name-checked on the poster, but while that seems like it should be left to discover by the audience, knowing that one little bit of plot mechanics does nothing to dim the light of this incredibly accomplished film. Grabinski uses time travel as a way to talk about the way we process regret, how humans confront loss and experience the stages grief and the ways we can learn from our own mistakes if we can just find a way to forgive ourselves.

It’s a heavy, heavy load for this shoot-‘em-up to carry, but thanks to Grabinski’s deft script and a quartet of powerful lead performances, Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice lands it with aplomb. Unlike a lot of other films which tend to use time travel as a whiz-bang gimmick to show off a bunch of time loops, Grabinski instead uses it to set the scene, and then let the story play out like almost any other gangster film, with the addition of one character who has the power of hindsight that allows him to anticipate not necessarily plot points, but instead emotional reactions that help guide the core cast through a deadly gauntlet of a night.

Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice is an all-in-one-night feature, structured around a series of increasingly debauched parties being thrown for the recently freed Jimmy Boy (Jimmy Tatro) by his gang boss father, Sosa (Keith David). It turns out that Sosa has discovered that Mike may be the snitch who sent his beloved baby boy to the slammer, and he’s determined to get his revenge by the time the night is through. It’s up to Future Nick to guide Present Nick, Mike, and Alice to freedom, and there are some very dangerous hurdles to jump along the way.

As intense as Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice gets emotionally, we are never mired in the emotion in a way that makes us forget that this movie is meant to be really fun. There are few actors who are able to imbue a character with charisma as easily as Vince Vaughn, and with two of him on screen, there’s just more to love. Marsden and González are electric as star-crossed lovers navigating the challenges of depending on the man they’ve both betrayed for their lives as well as feeling the guilt that comes along with the collapse of those intimate relationships that each of them shared with Nick. It’s a tricky tone to strike, but through all of the gunfire and grenades, it’s the relationships that stick with you.

Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice could’ve been a solid feature with just the above-mentioned cast, but Grabinski and his casting director Jenny Jue have managed to put together the most incredible ensembles to fill out this world and make sure there are no dim corners. Along with Tatro and David at the head of the crime family, we also get a daffy Arturo Castro as Dumbass Tony, Lewis Tan as Roid Rage Ryan, Ben Schwartz opening the film with panache as scientist Symon, Schitt’s Creek’s Emily Hampshire as crooked cop Sam, and a few really fun surprises that are best left for discovery. It’s a smorgasbord of scenery chewing that makes every minute of screen time pop, whether we’re having a quiet moment with our leads, or cutting away to one of Jimmy Boy’s many parties.

Apart from the sparkling script and a-plus performances all around, there’s a technical team at work here having the best time delivering action and comedy at a pace that’s just a delight to experience. Grabinski and his stunt team go all out, absolutely wrecking bodies and buildings left and right. There are Matrix level gun battles at multiple points throughout the film, John Wick style close quarters action, and every bit of it brought a smile to my face. One of the greatest joys of the film are the Goodfellas-esque needle drops, they are plentiful and perfectly placed to not only evoke a mood or set a scene, but also to let us know who these characters are without having them say a word. When Jimmy Boy pulls up to the After After After party with Last Resort by Papa Roach blaring, you know exactly who that guy is, and he sucks.

As much fun as I had with this film, and it was so much fun, I can’t help feeling a twinge of sadness that very few audiences will get an opportunity to see it with a packed audience in a theater as it heads to Hulu on March 27^th. This is a film that rewards the audience experience, not only with the joy that comes from the did-you-just-see that experience that we don’t get to share with strangers as much these days, but also the kind of communal catharsis that comes from experiencing universal human emotions in a group setting. Don’t let that dissuade you, though, Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice is the rare action film that goes beyond the bullets to create something genuine and real, it takes the best elements and possibilities of the genres its playing in and blends them to create an emotionally fulfilling rollercoaster ride where you might actually shed a tear at the end. More of this, please