So this movie was recommended by a hiking friend of mine that has somewhat similar tastes to me in terms of movies, music, TV shows, etc. I’ve definitely heard of this movie before and remember references to it in pop culture when I was younger. I’ve skipped over this movie countless times when looking for something new to watch just because I’ve felt like it’s not really what I’m usually into.
First impressions, didn’t like the opening music and the movie hasn’t aged well, it has that 90s look and feel all over it. However, it has Kevin Spacey in it, so that’s a plus. It’s pretty obvious this movie is going to be about a midlife crisis, but it does go a little further than that. What starts off as a movie about a creepy father developing an unhealthy obsession with his daughter’s high school friend turns into a deeper look into unordinary things that can happen in ordinary people’s lives. Two midlife crisis’, an unhealthy teenage romance, repressed homosexuality turned into aggressive homophobia, and a young girl looking for validation from all the wrong sources later and we have a pretty decent movie and ending. Only one of the morally questionable characters is sort of redeemed by the end, the main character portrayed by Kevin Spacey, but just barely and it’s all for nothing.
Some noticeable things did catch my attention though. John Cho from the ‘Harold and Kumar’ movies has a very, very, very, small role in this, but I do like him as an actor so it was cool to see him. The Ricky Flutts character was without a doubt the most interesting and complex character in the movie and the person who plays him is one of those actors you’ve seen in things before, but never quite remember his name. The color palette was all over the place, not too vivid or themed, which can be nice sometimes. There weren’t a lot of superb or interesting camera angles, only one or two stand out in my mind. One scene where they though they had an interesting shot was forced, people don’t walk in the middle of a street in the middle of the day. They also don’t just stand there and wait until they can walk back in the middle of the street when cars force them onto the sidewalk.
The plastic bag scene that I remember being parodied on late night comedy shows was kind of disappointing, but I did like the message they delivered. We often don’t notice or appreciate the beauty of our world because of how busy our lives are. It’s nice to stop and take a look around you and be amazed at the small things that happen all of the time that aren’t engineered or caused by man. The best scene of the movie was between Ricky and his dad, the typical military father that seemed to be portrayed in every 90s movie, after some confusion and misunderstanding on the dad’s part. The dad is also featured in what I though was the most visually appealing scene and was shot very well, it’s after he confronts Kevin Spacey in his garage and walks back to his house in the rain.
All things considered, it’s a good movie. A little taboo sprinkled into a tale about suburbia to shock and awe the masses and be considered provocative, but not enough complexity or depth for my liking.
A solid 6. (Word count: 578)
Baphomet's Theatre 