Art Carney and Lee Starsberg did not receive Oscar nominations for portraying Al and Willie respectively in Going in Style.
Art Carney and Lee Strasberg play the equally elderly friends of Joe (George Burns). Joe leads the other two on a bank robbery heist to enliven their later years. Carney and Strasberg are quite different in terms of their history as performers, Carney coming up from his all-time great comedic television work as Ed Norton, which segued successfully to comedically inclined dramatic work on the film. Strasberg on the other hand known for being the famed acting teacher of many legendary performers only really had a brief career in film with this film marking his last feature film in his short career. Anyway, forget all that because you instantly do as you enter the film with the two of them hanging out with Burns as Joe on a park bench in New York. As aforementioned in Burns's review, the chemistry between the guys is the first great bit of their performances together. They share this infectious and honest commaraderie between the three. It is just a given in their interactions, nothing forced in their reactions towards each other or anything they speak is always to an old friend. You are granted a sense from all three that these three have been hanging out at this bench for a long while and together they are just sincerely a group of friends. An important note for Carney's performance is like his Oscar-winning turn in Harry and Tonto, Carney is wholly convincing as a man much older than he was. Carney actually being only in his early sixties but is able to adjust his performance to be wholly fitting right along with both Strasberg and Burns who were genuinely the ages of their characters.
I think a key difference between Carney's and Strasberg's performances is that there's less innate frustration as you see with Burns as they sit on that park bench, although they are certainly set in their ways it is less of a painful element in their performances. In turn, when Joe brings up the idea to the other two that he wants to rob a bank, I love both Carney and Strasberg's performances they are very natural. Strasberg shows Willie just completely confused by the prospect meanwhile Carney is just bemusement at Joe's suggestion. Carney naturally shows this sense of fun with the idea, whereas Strasberg is terrific in real being the voice of reason in his reaction that is with this sort of break in the reality that is known to them. The whole idea is pretty mad and Strasberg's performance voices that initially with such honest disbelief. Both bring separate energy that is just terrific with Carney bringing this excitement over the job, such as when he's describing the guns his nephew has for the job, like a "proper crook" doing the job, even right down to his expression that has the right sort of sense of play. This works so effectively against Strasberg's continued very realistic confusion as Willie still doesn't quite seem to believe his friends, but is slowly more amused by the idea if not even intrigued. He segues within his work just minor expressions and is so natural in what isn't exactly an ordinary situation.
The further they are with the planning the more we get a sense of fun both men start having and in turn, a love of life seems to come across both of their faces. Carney's wonderful in a scene after scoping out of the bank where we get really a bit of classic Ed Norton silly dance movements as Al has some fun playing with the musicians like a much younger man, but I also love what Strasberg does in his more subtle expression of basically Willie getting infected by the promise of the job. Strasberg shows just this spark in his eyes and the sense of Willie starting to really get a kick out of the idea of being a crook as well. Strasberg earns this change so naturally by realizing just a bit more genuine interest to the point he's finally in on it fully. The night before the robbery Strasberg and Carney have a one truly great scene together as Al comforts Willie as he can't sleep. Strasberg is fantastic as Willie talks about an incident where he kept spanking his oldest son, who had died when he was young, to try to get him to confess. Strasberg is heartbreaking in recounting speaking at first with the expectation of what he was meant to do as the "dad" punishing his son for misbehavior but falling into such severe emotion through the sadness he so potently reveals as he notes that the incident broke their relationship and might've sent his son on a bad path. Carney's performance deserves mention in the scene as well, by just his reactions that bring such a powerful empathy to the moment showing Al absolutely being there for Willie as his friends recount this pain from his life. Carney truly puts the support in supporting, by his reactions allowing the scene to be that much more poignant.
The two men though basically get to seemingly escape their past as they go off on their living fantasy of the bank robbery. Both are great in the robbery scene in bringing this physical awkwardness as they initially are brandishing their guns and attempting to play the part of the thugs. That is until Willie has to take action as two people wander into the bank, Strasberg brings out his inner Hyman Roth and delivers some genuine menace as Willie fully buys into the part of the crook. Emphasized all the more as they make their escape and Strasberg is exuding such a genuine thrill in Willie as the one who suddenly is most into really the robbery fully embracing this. It is great work from Strasberg because he breathes real life into the idea, showing such a genuine transformation of the questioning old man, who goes all in, and never does there feel an artifice, rather finding a powerful portrait Willie finding this second wind. To the point that spoilers it is heartbreaking when Willie suddenly dies after the robbery. Carney like Burns is very moving in revealing the real loss of Al losing his friend. Carney after this point shows Al, who really brought the most levity throughout, has just a bit of a somberness within that is striking compared to what we saw of him before that point. Joe in a way to relieve this, and enjoy some of the money, have the two of them go to Las Vegas to gamble and enjoy the "high life". As stated in Burns's review, despite this film seeming lighter, has a bit of a surprising weight to it. With Carney portraying along with Burns this hollowness in the attempted materialistic joy, glimpses of it are in momentary reactions, but always limited. We even get a brief bit of physical comedy from Carney as he non-verbally, and somewhat unknowingly plays around with a young woman (likely a prostitute), that again is just Carney in his comedic powers as a performer. Also just being a great comedic scene partner with Burns as they try to enjoy life as much as they can and in their own ways. Still, in each scene, Carney reflects a great exasperation even within the bits of joy, showing real no matter what gains they might've had from the robbery both men lost more in losing Willie as a friend. Carney and Strasberg's performances endear you to the trio, to each man, and to the whole idea of the endeavor. Even while Burns is the lead and given sort of the dramatic heft of the piece, Strasberg and Carney in their supporting parts offer endearing and also very moving portraits of the two old men finding an unexpected spark in their lives.
