Shouldn’t it always be this easy?

In theatres tomorrow (and on Netflix on June 7^th if you aren’t Canadian), Hit Man is a surprisingly effortless charmer of a movie that further cements the elevation of Glen Powell into an upper tier leading man and a reminder that people need to just give Richard Linklater money to make anything he wants.

Inspired by an unbelievable true story, a strait-laced professor (Glen Powell) discovers his hidden talent as a fake hit man working for the local police in sting operations arresting people looking for an ‘actual’ hit man. He meets his match in a client who steals his heart and ignites a powder keg of deception, delight, and mixed-up identities.

With charm that drips off the screen, it’s going to be tough find a story more entertaining than Glen Powell’s metamorphosis from dweeb to debonair in Hit Man because it’s never truly trying to be anything more than just a hell of a lot of fun.

Co-Written and Directed by Richard Linklater (who is easily putting in his best work that we’ve seen in over a decade) this movie is such a brilliant example of finding an actor/director combo who can find a character and truly maximize it for all it’s worth.  Linklater deftly stays out of the way of his actors as they navigate this premise that while admittedly ridiculous is so overloaded with charm and affability that we as an audience just want to sign up for this charming warm hug that only wants to make us smile.

If this movie doesn’t tell audiences that this is the year of Glen Powell’s emergence as a bankable Hollywood star then it’s hard to wonder what will.  Here he channels the everyman hunk as all the ladies in the audience will swoon over his charms but all the guys will still want to have a beer with him at the same time.  This was a genius move from Powell (who co-wrote the script) as this will be a wonderful calling card that he can use to leverage anything that he might want for himself.  As Gary Johnson he’s not just a guy looking to redefine and take control of his life, he’s a guy who realized his potential was right in front of him from day one, it just needed a little nudge in the right direction and serves as a testament to the reality that being a little more self-assured in life can take you a hell of a long way.

While you could easily make the mistake of feeling like this was a movie that Ana De Armas may have turned down, there’s no denying that Adria Arjona owns the screen alongside Powell.  They have chemistry that basically makes you want to watch them do anything they want, be it rolling around in bed sweaty and naked, or talking themselves out a sticky situation.  There’s something about Glen Powell and Adria Arjona that reminds this critic about Robert Redford and Faye Dunaway back in the day…and that’s not a bad thing because we need to see more of it.

Hit Man is just a classic charmer of a naughty cinematic romp where we get so invested in the two leads that even when they are doing something wrong, it just feels so damn right.