Starring
Ethan Hawke (Gattaca)
Patricia Arquette (Holes)
Ellar Coltrane
Lorelie Linklater
This is not a typical film. Artsy but on a purely technical scale, with a story that is nothing special and that is precisely what makes the whole thing special. Its a serious Seinfeld. A movie about nothing where the acting is excellent and the drama is generic. It plays out like a long dreadful memory.
This was more about the technical accomplishment than the story and to overlook that revolutionary accomplishment of filming though a 12 year time span would be an injustice. While I had absolutely no interest in the story whatsoever, I can't deny that it was a remarkable journey highlighting what it means to live a normal, albeit broken, life. None of the characters are, in any way, remarkable. They consistently make horrible choices. A depiction of an average life is not something you necessarily want to watch but the entire point of the movie has nothing to do with the plot. The whole thing is one long way of minimizing makeup costs and in that, it is supremely effective.
As expected the themes it actively tries to explore quickly become redundant. I get it, beer is bad, teens and husbands can't help but be jerks, society glorifies alcohol and sex and those that don't partake are dweebs, drugs are just normal, and being kind and compassionate towards others is meaningless. Nearly three hours of compromising character in favor of trying to be deep can get a bit monotonous but the performances of Coltrane, Hawke, and Arquette are so life like that you can;t help but admire the job they do.
To bash on the story a bit more, it never fails to fall victim to cliches. It could be a product of the ambitious scope or maybe Linklater found it revolutionary in 2002 and simply couldn't change it. When the world of the film is the same as the our own (minus Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette being famous people), which is the case in many movies, the expectations turn to story, character, and style. The visuals Linklater opts for are purely realistic. The only hint of this being more than a home video is found in the time relevant music that pops up in the background every now and then. Two Arcade Fire songs is a triumph on its own.
In shooting natural growth, it seems you have to sacrifice originality for convention and take what you can get. Common popular themes like a failed marriage, puberty, and the American dream are given a general, sweeping depiction. We see a dozen years pass by and only Ernesto and Mason Sr. see any worthwhile character change. We also see Mason Jr. develop a decent taste in music, so there's that. In the end it was a long film that went dabbled in all sorts of nothingness. Just like real American lives. Relationships. Divorce. Alcohol. Hurray!
Congratulations Richard Linklater. You've made a boringly impressive three hour Youtube clip.
To bash on the story a bit more, it never fails to fall victim to cliches. It could be a product of the ambitious scope or maybe Linklater found it revolutionary in 2002 and simply couldn't change it. When the world of the film is the same as the our own (minus Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette being famous people), which is the case in many movies, the expectations turn to story, character, and style. The visuals Linklater opts for are purely realistic. The only hint of this being more than a home video is found in the time relevant music that pops up in the background every now and then. Two Arcade Fire songs is a triumph on its own.
In shooting natural growth, it seems you have to sacrifice originality for convention and take what you can get. Common popular themes like a failed marriage, puberty, and the American dream are given a general, sweeping depiction. We see a dozen years pass by and only Ernesto and Mason Sr. see any worthwhile character change. We also see Mason Jr. develop a decent taste in music, so there's that. In the end it was a long film that went dabbled in all sorts of nothingness. Just like real American lives. Relationships. Divorce. Alcohol. Hurray!
Congratulations Richard Linklater. You've made a boringly impressive three hour Youtube clip.
Bottom Line: While I wasn't taken in by the characters, I was still affected by the story enough to hate them and I hate everything about the characters (except, once again, Ernesto. Give that dude his own movie). Despite that, the achievement here can't be dismissed. This is an unequivocally real film and while I may relate to zero percent of it, I can't deny its relevance to modern American life. It's nowhere near the top of my list but it'll be a favorite for the Oscars.
8 out of 10
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