"Ashby"

2015 * R * 1h 40m   This is not your typical teen drama. Not by a long shot. It stars Nat Wolff, Sarah Silverman, and Mickey Rourke. And it was a big surprise to me. An excellent little film, just about no one has heard of. Gotta love indie flicks!

Ed (Wolff) and his mom June (Silverman) are new in town. She's recently divorced and is looking for a stable relationship. But in the meantime, casual hook-ups will do. Ed is a bright student who gets an assignment to interview a friend or relative and write an essay about him or her. He picks his next-door neighbor Ashby (Rourke), a grizzly old codger who is supposedly a retired napkin salesman. While interviewing him one day, he sneaks down into Ashby's basement where he discovers a huge cache of military-grade weapons. After being confronted, Ashby admits to being a government hit man. 

Thus begins the adventure. Ashby has been given only a few months to live, so Ed volunteers to be his personal chauffeur, and the two have some interesting times together.--including bumping off some of Ashby's old bosses. Ed also strikes up a friendship with a quirky young girl Eloise (Emma Robert), and the story plays out in a fairly unpredictable manner. 

While all four leads were excellent, I especially enjoyed Mickey Rourke's performance. He plays a gruff, cantankerous old guy with a heart of gold, perfectly. It all adds up to a fun, different kind of film. 

4 out of 5 stars. 

Currently streaming for free with your library card on Hoopla.com. And to rent on Prime Video.