I HEART HUCKABEES (2004) Director: David O. Russell Writers: David O. Russell; Jeff Baena Cast: Jason Schwartzman; Dustin Hoffman; Lily Tomlin; Jude Law; Mark Wahlberg; Naomi Watts; Isabelle Huppert When Albert (Jason Schwartzman) is struggling to understand the meaning behind a series of coincidences, he calls upon the help of Bernard (Dustin Hoffman) and Vivian (Lily Tomlin), a couple of existential detectives. Their ‘investigation’ changes not only Albert’s life, but of the people around him too. I’d heard a lot about this movie, so was pretty excited to finally get a chance to watch it. I have to admit, it is not even close to what I expected. I mean, I never really knew what it was about beforehand, but it went against everything I imagined. And, to be fair, that was a good thing, as I went into it with a lot of curiosity. Looking back on it, though, I don’t know if this was a good film. There was a lot I did like, and a lot that I didn’t like, and I’m still at a loss to work out whether the pros outweighed the cons, or vice versa. On the one hand, there’s the story. I’m a big fan of ‘Being John Malkovich’, which also takes a wry look at existentialism and the meaning of life. ‘I Heart Huckabees’ plays along on the same themes but, frankly, it just doesn’t have the same strength. Yes, it’s very much tongue-in-cheek, but I do think that it is far too pretentious at times, with a keen desire to indulge in itself. After 90 minutes, that becomes very grating. But on the other hand, you have the acting. What makes ‘I Heart Huckabees’ fun to watch are the performances. Other than Schwartzman (who I really really don’t enjoy watching), the entire cast is on brilliant form. Dustin Hoffman is his usual excellent self, and actors like Jude Law and Naomi Watts do very well in their roles. The MVP, though, is Mark Wahlberg. This film was made well before he become a big mainstream success story, but you can start to see the comic ability that he is so famous for now. His character is so fun, and you can see that he threw himself into the role 100%. So the question is: does a cast of excellent actors make up for what is a self-indulgent and weak storyline? Even as I type this, I just can’t work that out. I think it’s a film that will always divide audiences, and that is not necessarily a bad thing. Whether you end up loving it or hating it, it deserves to be seen at the very least. If you want to see a film that goes against the usual Hollywood grain, this is your lot.
Posted on: Tue, 24 Sep 2013 23:32:54 +0000
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