I (HEART) HUCKABEES
(a film review by Mark R. Leeper)
CAPSULE: This weird comedic fantasy lampoons pop
philosophy and everything else within reach but
wastes the talents of Dustin Hoffman. Rating:
low +2 (-4 to +4) or 7/10
I (HEART) HUCKABEES is a broad spectrum, anarchic farce taking
scattergun aim at pop psychology, pop philosophy, consumerism,
suburban blight, self-help programs, advertising,
conservationists, Wal-Mart, and lot more. It takes special aim at
the meaningless jargon and false analogies that so many use to
explain the world to themselves. ("Have you transcended time and
space?" "Uh, time yes. Not space.") David O. Russell co-wrote
and directs. His last effort (THREE KINGS) was also weird but
that was at the same time as sobering over all as this film is
heady.
Albert Markovksi (played by Jason Schwartzman) is the founder of a
conservationist coalition who is being forced out of his no-power
position at the head by the shallow but attractive and very
political Brad Stand (Jude Law). Albert wants the world to return
to a clean, pure landscape, but he cannot think for two sentences
without profanity. A business card in the pocket of borrowed
jacket leads him to office two existential detectives who for a
fee will spy on him and report to him how to align his life with
their cosmic philosophy.
BEING JOHN MALKOVICH started anarchic and strange, but at a
certain point stopped introducing new ideas and played with the
rules it had already created. I (HEART) HUCKABEES never puts on
the brakes. It is one surreal scene after another. While it
seemed to be an audience pleaser, for me it never quite clicked
into place, never quite worked. There were certainly some
undeniably funny gags. In its unfocused way it milked some sacred
cows and made cheeseburgers of others. I laughed at the portrayal
of a self-help culture that reduces people to herds of sheep in
search of a shepherd.
Top billing goes to Dustin Hoffman in a long 1960s hairstyle. He
must have realized he was only tangential to this story and
accordingly phoned in a performance well below his usual standard
in better-written roles. For me this is a kind of irreverent,
cynical, and bitter comedy I liked. Perhaps in a second viewing I
will be able to better get in the mood.
Mark R. Leeper
mleeper DeleteThis @optonline.net
Copyright 2004 Mark R. Leeper
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X-RAMR-ID: 38714
X-Language: en
X-RT-ReviewID: 1323668
X-RT-TitleID: 1136990
X-RT-AuthorID: 1309
X-RT-RatingText: 7/10
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