Any Day Now Parent Guide

Steve (Taylor Gray) is a night watchman at a local art museum in Boston who feels stuck in life. He was recently kicked out of college for drug dealing, he owes a lot of money due to said drugs, and he’s in love with his best friend’s girlfriend. But when he’s recruited into the criminal underground by Marty (Paul Guilfoyle), Steve starts to wonder if maybe there is a way out of his situation. As the two new friends plan a heist of numerous paintings from the museum, both realize the other may not be being entirely truthful.

The heist portrayed in this film is real: it’s the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum theft of March 18, 1990, in which 13 pieces of artwork, valued at $200 million at the time (half a billion dollars in 2025), were successfully stolen over the course of 81 minutes. The case has never been solved nor has any of the art been recovered. This film is a fictionalized portrayal of what could have happened, using invented characters based on some of the suspects. Rather than focusing on the heist, however, the story primarily focuses on the characters of Steve and Marty.

As a character piece, I think Any Day Now is tightly written and maintains a reflective atmosphere. The relationship between the two men is layered and tense, and Steve’s character growth through the story is believable and compelling. The glimpses into the criminal world are interesting, with some fun side characters who don’t get nearly enough screen time. Both Gray and Guilfoyle give stellar performances and are an absolute treat to watch.

Audiences may think that because this story is based on a heist it will be exciting. It isn’t - and that’s what kills the movie. The heist itself takes place over less than 10 minutes of screen time, and even the planning of it takes only a few scenes. The story is slow and meditative, with next to no action and a whole lot of talking. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but audiences expecting excitement will be disappointed.

With large amounts of negative content, especially the 60+ F-bombs, Any Day Now is not a great choice for most audiences. The slow pace and contemplative tone are also sure to turn away some viewers, as small-scale character explorations tend to not to become blockbusters. That said, this film is carefully written, superbly acted, and well shot, so for those who do enjoy this type of film, they won’t be disappointed. This show wasn’t my personal cup of tea and I wouldn’t have chosen to watch it on my own, but I’m happy to see a small production putting out good artistry. There isn’t nearly enough of that in Hollywood these days.