Most of us decide to see movies based on the previews, the recommendation from friends, or perhaps the movie reviews we read online or in the paper. We have a certain expectation of the movie based on the cast, the general premise, and the ever reliable word of mouth. I try to see movies I’m interested in on opening night, without reading any reviews. I don’t want anything to bias my opinion of the movie except for my own perceptions. I realized after watching “Tower Heist”, that no matter how fast I catch a new flick, I have preconceived notions as well. If a preview features Bruce Wills, a machine gun and an explosion – that’s going to be an action movie. Meryl Streep with an accent? – probably a drama. My expectation of “Tower Heist” before last Friday night was that it was going to be a fast-paced comedy. And in some ways, I was disappointed.

The general premise is as follows – Alan Alda plays a Bernie Madoff type of character, living in the penthouse suite of an exclusive Manhattan apartment building. After he’s given house arrest for his crimes, and there doesn’t seem to be any legal retribution forthcoming, the employees of the apartment building decide to steal back their pension fund that was entrusted to Alda’s character. They hire Eddie Murphy to be their “expert thief” consultant, and, after several false starts, the good guys are supposed to prevail at the end.

The issue is that the producers and directors of this movie also watched “Ocean’s 11” – a much more successful heist movie. So there were scenes where the characters sweet talked their way past a guard, or used electronic gadgetry to enable their goal. Alan Alda would have been better suited for “Ocean’s 11” – he was fabulous in his portrayal of an entitled, morally ambiguous, rich guy. If every movie needs an antagonist – Alda’s skills would have been better suited to the slick, atmospheric George Clooney movie than this uneven quasi-amusing flick. In “Ocean’s 11”, no matter how big the scheme, the audience can logically follow the plausibility of the set up. That is not the case in “Tower Heist”, and that’s one of the major flaws of this movie. I don’t want to see a caper where I have to set aside my logic to enjoy the film. The scenes where the stolen object is lowered outside a high rise window, or how the employees are able to have some financial retribution at the movie’s end – just not plausible.

As a comedy, the movie fares slightly better. Eddie Murphy was back in top form, and his dialogues cackled with quick witted energy. The scene where he initiates his “crew” into the art of thievery at a local mall was a highlight. Using the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade as an accessory of sorts to the heist was also just flat out fun. Tea’ Leoni and Gabourey Sidibe sparkled in their few scenes and proved their comedic chops as well.

On a side note, to movie producers everywhere – simply because you’ve hired a heavy set actress to portray a character in your movie doesn’t mean you need to surround her with pastries in every scene. It’s insulting. Stop it.

If “Tower Heist” was a school project – I’d give it a solid “B”. With a little more attention to detail and commitment to genre, it could have been an “A”. I’d still recommend it for Eddie Murphy alone.