Josh Kovaks

Tower Heist is one of those movies you can plop on the couch and immediately know who the players are and what they’re after. Reminiscent of the lighthearted caper Ocean’s Eleven, the film features an all-star cast portraying a quirky set of characters out for revenge. Not only is the movie a popcorn feature with all the expected thrills of a heist tale, but it also has a wonderful ending that is much too good to spoil.

With that intro out of the way, Josh Kovaks takes top billing for today’s Wednesday Warriors.

As great as Tower Heist is, critics didn’t like it. Yes, it is light. Yes, it has a few ridiculous plot holes. And yes, the acting could be better. But because it doesn’t take itself seriously, and some of the story elements are not as tight as one would hope, it doesn’t mean the plot isn’t good. On the contrary, holding it together is a lead character so unbelievable that Ben Stiller makes him believable.

Josh Kovaks is the manager to a New York apartment building whose employer (Alan Alda), who Josh admires, becomes the center of an FBI fraud investigation. When Josh discovers the apartment’s employees have fallen victim to their employer’s Ponzi scheme, he takes it upon himself to seek revenge against his once-beloved idol. Adding further to his motives, this happens after one of the elderly employees attempts to take his own life soon after finding out his retirement nest egg has vanished in the scheme.

From the very beginning, the audience gets to know Josh as a determined boss who leads his team with the goal of making the tenants’ stay more enjoyable. He memorizes silly facts about wines so as he can make recommendations to those with the financial means of appreciating his taste. He also takes the time to get to know each guest under his care—a trait the tenants find comforting. Under Josh’s watch, he is aware of everything, and everything that happens, happens for a reason.

Like other good caper films, Josh goes on a mission to recruit those capable of pulling off the impossible. In this case, he and his crew will need to break into his former boss’ penthouse to rip off what is supposedly a bucket of cash, ready for transport. The trouble with the plan is finding where his former boss had hidden it.

Although Josh has a hard time attempting to pull the plan together, nothing compares with him trying to keep the other members of his team from bailing on the plot or betraying each other. The people problem is what has him losing sleep.

Overall, in spite of the obstacles, Josh delivers on his promises to his team—even if it’s not in the way the audience quite expects it.

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Have you seen Tower Heist? If so, what did you think about it? What do you think of Josh?