Add me to the list of saw it, loved it.
What a quirky, intelligent, beautiful movie. Right when we got home I logged on and read a bunch of reviews, and Roger Ebert's (as usual, I find) was bang on. Some interesting comments about the responsibility we have to art, and Ferrell's character feeling like he didn't want to let anyone down by saying no (in part because he hadn't done anything in his life near the significance of the novel).
It walked that fine line between tragedy and comedy so well, it was almost impossible to distinguish between the two in certain scenes. For example, in the scene when the Hoffman character proclaims that the novel is a masterpiece and Ferrell "has to die," I laughed out loud but was cringing with sadness.
And yeah, Will Ferrell was brilliant. Great, and brave, casting. Made me think of Bill Murray or the aforementioned Jim Carrey, in that he conveyed so much with his body language and non-verbal cues in an amazingly subtle performance.
Not a masterpiece I don't think, but one I'll add to the collection when it hits DVD, and one I've told many people to GO SEE, ASAP!
As for the Ferrell/Gyllenhaal dynamic- if you were in your mid to late 30's and living a dreary existence, wouldn't you be smitten by her? She's captivating. And desirable. I think she saw him starting to come alive, and was intrigued by his innocence and purity. But why she had such a strong interest in him wasn't explained as well as it could have been, that I agree with.
Mild Spoilers---------
As for the ending- part of me was disappointed it didn't end the way the characters originally wanted it to- it would've been an interesting, modern twist on a Shakespeare-esque tragedy. Would have left the viewer with a lot to think about. But I was pleasantly surprised with how they did it- it worked and didn't feel contrived even though it was the "happy" ending.
Yeah, rambling on now. But wow, just a breath of fresh air. What a great flick. That scene with the psychiatrist ("what you're describing, Mr. Crick, is schizophrenia") was golden, as was the one with the flowers in the box. And Buster getting the space camp package.
OK, go see it CP.
Edit- OK, forgot to add that I was impressed by the cinematography also. Sort of like a Stanley Kubrick/Wes Anderson hybrid- visually intricate and detailed for the purpose of tone and style, but also haunting and empty at times, with characters in dead space and images that drew your eye to certain part sof the frame. Certain scenes reminded me of "One Hour Photo," which interestingly was brought up in that Ebert review.
Last edited by Ro; 12-05-2006 at 09:08 PM.
|
