Pixie (2020)

Pixie is the kind of crime caper that feels freshly spiked with mischief: a darkly funny, fast-moving romp where the danger is real but the attitude is gleefully defiant. Olivia Cooke anchors it with a charismatic performance that makes every sharp turn feel earned, pulling you along with the confidence of someone who’s always two steps ahead—or at least willing to pretend she is. Ireland’s scenery isn’t just pretty window dressing; it gives the film a vivid sense of place as the chase barrels from one bad decision to the next, all with a wicked sense of humor about power, pride, and who gets to call the shots. If you like your thrillers a little scrappy and your comedy a little bitey, this one’s a blast; if you’re allergic to violence and black humor sharing the same room, it may not be your flavor.

Pixie wants to be a cheeky, feminist-leaning Irish crime caper with swagger, fast talk, and a road-trip-on-the-run energy, and you can see the movie it’s reaching for. The problem is it often feels like it’s borrowing the attitude of better heist comedies without earning it, with a plot that lurches from beat to beat and characters who don’t consistently feel real enough to care about. The humor and thrills land in patches rather than building momentum, so the whole thing can come off oddly forgettable despite the violent stakes. If you’re craving a slick, tightly written crime comedy, this may frustrate you, but if you’re fine with a scrappy, uneven romp and enjoy Irish scenery and a confident lead performance, you might still get a decent one-night watch out of it.