Josh Kovacs (Ben Stiller) is the General Manager at the Tower, a prestigious Manhattan residential building. He takes care of all the peculiar needs of the wealthy people who live there along with hiring and monitoring the activities of the staff. As two examples of his labor we see him interviewing a job applicant named Enrique (Michael Pena) and then trying to persuade Fitzhugh (Matthew Broderick), a stockbroker who has lost everything, to evacuate his condo which is in foreclosure.
Josh also scolds Charlie (Casey Affleck), the concierge, for wasting too much time on private matters (his wife is expecting their first child). And then there is the news that Lester (Stephen McKinley Henderson), the longtime doorman, has decided to retire.
None of these employees have any idea that their future has already been determined by the wealthiest resident in the Tower — Arthur Shaw (Alan Alda), a slick and self-centered investment wheeler-dealer. Josh has a jocular and superficial relationship with this penthouse owner based on the fact that they both grew up in working-class Astoria.
But all camaraderie with Shaw evaporates when the investment kingpin is picked up by the FBI for securities fraud. It turns out that Josh had recommended to the building's board that they have Shaw invest the staff's pension money. Now there is nothing left of it. Lester had gone a step further and given his nest egg of $73,000 to Shaw.
After this veteran employee tries to commit suicide, Josh explodes with rage and proceeds to smash and bash Shaw's beloved red Ferrari which occupies a central place of attention in his penthouse. Enrique and Charlie, who have accompanied him on this mission, are fired along with their boss. Then Claire Denham (Tea Leoni), the FBI Special Agent on the case, tells Josh that Shaw has $20 million hidden away somewhere.
Brett Ratner directs Tower Heist, and it couldn't be a more topical story in these days when the tide of popular anger against rich swindlers like Bernie Madoff and Wall Street money grubbers is at an all-time high. This comedy really cooks during the first half but doesn't come to a full boil in the second half which centers around the bungled attempt of Josh and his Robin Hood buddies to get back the staff's money. They enlist the help of Slide (Eddie Murphy), a trash-talking thief, to plan the robbery, and he adds a few surprises along the way. This caper comedy could have been much sharper in its focus but in times such as these we can commend any movie that socks it to the selfish and arrogant rich who believe they are invincible and untouchable.
Special features on the 2-disc Blu-ray/DVD combo include an audio commentary track with director Brett Ratner, editor Mark Helfrich, and co-writers Ted Griffin and Jeff Nathanson; "Brett Ratner's Video Diary" with footage of Ratner at work; "Plotting Tower Heist: a comprehensive look at the making of the film, how Ratner first met producer Brian Grazer as an NYU student, gathering the cast, shooting at the Trump Hotel, and recreating Steve McQueen's Ferrari; two alternate endings; a collection of deleted/alternate scenes; and a gag reel.
