This is not a movie review. In order to write one today, I would need to be able to explain at least two things about the movie I just saw --One, plot; and two, conflict(s) and resolution. I can do neither, at least not completely or in any meaningful way.
I can say that my sister came over yesterday, because we agreed we'd catch a matinee. I wanted to see Alfie, or maybe even a feel-good chick flick like Wimbledon or First Daughter. I was sleep-deprived from the night before, and it was overcast and grey outside. Definitely a good day to stay in bed and snooze -- but doing so would have been rude considering Joni had to endure about 40 miles of the infernal 5 freeway just to get here.
But it wasn't a good day to, say, perform complex mathematical calculations or ponder over the reasons for global economic inequality. Definitely not. But I suspect my sister was in the mood for vigorous mental exercise, because she insisted we watch I Heart Huckabees, widely described as an existentialist comedy.
I knew nothing about the film, except that it was an art-house type of flick -- which is great because I'm more Laemmle than Edwards to begin with. I still wasn't convinced, but Joni vetoed all my choices, and I was too sleepy to fight for any of them. Big Mistake. Because if I still remember a little bit from college philosophy classes, the theme of Choice is central in Existentialism -- that it is inescapable, that even refusing to choose is a choice, which also entails commitment and responsibility. In other words, I just screwed myself for giving her the freedom to choose for both of us.
Fast forward to the end, because I can't quite explain the beginning and the middle (partly because I had dozed off a few times, during my futile attempts to free my mind of preconceived notions of what the term entertainment means). The credits are rolling, and I'm staring at the screen in a daze. I realized I didn't like the film, definitely did not love it, but didn't quite hate it either. I merely felt...perplexed. Sure, there were funny moments where I laughed (or at least snickered), and there were brilliant conversations peppered throughout. But I felt like I had just been visually and verbally assaulted, and then consoled by being assured that the experience was actually good for me.
Not looking at Joni, I said, "I have no idea what I just saw here." To which she responded by laughing heartily in a way that meant, "Me too, but I will never admit it." If you plan on seeing the movie, here's a piece of advice: Huckabees is intelligent and thought-provoking, but don't think too hard and just go with the flow. For a few seconds I considered watching it again -- but only because I'd never left a movie theater feeling utterly confused and slightly frustrated, but challenged nonetheless. In the meantime, I'll let a real movie critic do his thing. Here's Roger Ebert's review of I Heart Huckabees:
I went to see "I Heart Huckabees" at the Toronto Film Festival. It was on the screen, and I was in my chair, and nothing was happening between us. There was clearly a movie being shown, but what was its purpose and why were the characters so inexplicable? I found the pressure point that is said by the master Wudang Weng Shun Kuen to increase mental alertness. Then I dashed out for a cup of coffee. Then I fell into the Yoga sutra of yatha abhimata dhyanat va, literally clearing the mind by meditating on a single object until I become tranquil. I meditated on the theater exit door.
At festivals, the moment a movie is over, everybody asks you what you thought about it. I said, "I didn't know what I thought." Then how did it make you feel? "It made me feel like seeing it again." You mean you liked it so much you want to see it twice? "No, I'm still working on seeing it the first time."
Now I REALLY have to see this film based on what you and 'Roger' said.
Posted by: Chiqui | October 26, 2004 at 04:04 AM
i should add that the movies gigi wanted to see -- alfie, wimbledon, first daughter -- were NOT showing at her local multi-plex. we had these wonderful choices that day: shall we dance?, taxi, the grudge, ladder 49, surviving christmas, and some others that we collectively decided to nix. i guess we could have trekked the extra 15 minutes to irvine, but since rotten tomatoes had given huckabees a 100% fresh rating, it seemed like a good choice.
all i can say is that if you do watch it, just go along for the ride and enjoy the moment, because when it's over, you'll have no clue what it was all about.
Posted by: sistah #1 | October 26, 2004 at 09:26 AM
Ha! FYI - here is Rotten Tomatoes rating for the movie:
Reviews counted: 134
Fresh: 79 Rotten: 55
Average Rating: 6.2/10
For $7.50, it would have been OK to drive the 15 minutes. But no worries, at least I had an experience I will never forget!
Posted by: Gigi | October 26, 2004 at 10:16 AM
once the first bad review was posted, i suppose everyone else got on the bandwagon and decided to say what they really felt... and it went from a FRESH rating of 100% to a ROTTEN rating of 59%!
so how low can it go?
Posted by: sistah #1 | October 26, 2004 at 08:31 PM