On June 13, 2025, 13 paintings worth hundreds of millions of dollars were stolen from Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in a brazen heist that still remains unsolved.Any Day Nowcreates a fictitious backstory where a downtrodden pushover is forced to aid the robberyby a loquacious gangster and his goofy goons. We’re supposed to take pity and root for the wet blanket protagonist as he’s used like a doormat from start to finish. That doesn’t happen becausethe black comedyis a stretch at best and the narrative has plot holes you could drive a truck through.
The cocky Marty Lyons (Paul Guilfoyle) sits in his prison cell, interrogated by a pair of angry cops who think he orchestrated the museum robbery. Marty sarcastically responds that he wishes he’d thought of it. The scene then flashes back to the hapless Steve (Taylor Gray) being chased into a restaurant. He doesn’t get far before ending up in the clutches of Albert (Thomas Philip O’Neill), a drug dealer he owes five thousand dollars. Albert gives the squirming Steve a few days to get his money, or he’ll get more than a slap.
Pushover Steve
Any Day Now
Steve Baker is a night watchman in his early 20s, but his life is already getting away from him. His band is falling apart, he owes a ton of money for drugs, and he’s in love with his best friend’s girl. When Marty comes along and ropes Steve into a criminal world of oddballs, misfits, and lost souls that are as dirty as the Charles River, Steve wonders if this is a change for the better or if he’s about to make the worst decision of his life.
Steve returns to the dirty apartment he shares with Danny (Armando Rivera), the lead singer of their struggling rock band. Sarah (Alexandra Templer), Danny’s beautiful but exploitative girlfriend, has eaten all of Steve’s food before crawling lazily back into bed. Steve meekly asks the pair for the money they owe him.He’s paid all the bills for months and borrowed the cash to fuel their partying.
Steve works as a night security guard at the museum. He mostly steals vending machine snacks and plays a silly betting game with a colleague to avoid the alarm sensors. The following day has Steve drowning his sorrows at a local pub when a stranger approaches.Marty knows about Steve’s job, how much he owes Albert, and insists he go for a drive.
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The rub is that Steve is going nowhere in life. He’s always played second fiddle to Danny and clearly desires Sarah, who has less than zero interest in a meek rhythm guitarist. Marty, the film’s best asset, quickly ascertains that Steve is a patsy. He couldn’t have asked for an easier guy to force into crime, butMarty isn’t all stick and no carrots. He’s determined to show Steve how everyone takes advantage of him, and that it’s actually in his best interest to comply with the plan.
Paul Guilfoyle Leads the Heist
Any Day Nowveers off track early with the introduction of Marty’s gang. These guys struggle to share one IQ point between them. Their silly shenanigans and frat boy antics lead to a crazy scene that’s supposed to get the film’s biggest laugh, but ends up being weird and distasteful. Steve becomes a reluctant member and mascot of sorts as the scheming kicks into overdrive. Marty wants to coax Steve out of his shell, but remains threatening as a reminder never to cross or betray him.
Any Day Nowspends little time on the nuts and bolts preparation.Marty could literally have just wrangled the troops and raided the museum at any time. This is the single biggest flaw in a narrative loaded with logistical inconsistencies. Steve is obviously the inside man, butthe museum’s lax security could have been raided like kindergartners sneaking late night to the cookie jar.This is also supposed to be part of the humor, but falls flat because their execution of the deed feels so inconsequential. There’s nothing difficult about it and that’s not interesting.
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Writer/director Eric Aronson (Mordecai) tries strange camera perspectives in the first act, and then completely abandons that approach. The characters speak directly into the camera to interact with each other with nothing else in the frame. Aronson then cuts back and forth like a ping-pong ball conversation. This is usually done to break the fourth wall and address the audience. It looks odd and out of place for the intended purpose.
81-Minute Runtime Mimics the Crime but Isn’t Enough Time
The film’s supporting characters are one-note to a fault. Danny and Sarah exist to bilk Steve. Marty’s subordinates are either batsh*t crazy or foolishly inept. They provide some comic relief, but that train runs out of steam when their juvenile shenanigans serve no purpose to the actual story. You don’t believe they were ever successful criminals.
Aronson needed more exposition across the board.The film only runs an hour and twenty-one minutes, which was the exact timing of the actual heist.Another 15 minutes could have fleshed out the characters and made them more rounded.Any Day Nowat least gives Paul Guilfoyle a deserved leading role.He’s been a Hollywood stalwart for fifty years and is by far the best part of this film.Any Day Nowis produced by Mark Donadio, Dana Scott, and Emily Sheehan. It will be released theatrically on March 21st.Find theaters and tickets and watch the film through its website here.
