This is the first entry in what will be semi-regular recommendations for interesting movies, music, books, and assorted other things. I'm going to start this month with the film Chuck and Buck.
Let me start out this recommendation by saying that I hated watching this movie. Every second was painful and annoying. Which seems a good place to start.
The film was written by and starred Mike White. The quick and dirty set-up is as follow. Chuck and Buck were best friends as kids, but Chuck moved away, and Buck has stayed trapped in his childhood ever since. When Chuck (now called Charlie, and a successful music executive) comes back to town for the funeral of Buck's mother, Buck tries to renew their friendship the way it was before. Buck moves to LA where Charlie lives and tries to insert himself into Charlie's life.
Here's the deal: Mike White gives an outstanding portrayal of an emotionally-arrested man trying to come to terms with his past. The problem is that people like that are incredibly annoying, and make you uncomfortable to be around. White doesn't flinch at all in this regard, to try to make Buck more lovable. In fact, everything in the film seems designed to heighten this sense of discomfort, from the incredibly repetitive (and a little annoying even the first time) musical selection, to the pacing of the dialogue, allowing plenty of screen time for uncomfortable silences where the characters look at each other and try to figure out what to say next. And I must say, White has done an outstanding job of cultivating this feeling of discomfort and annoyance, it persists heavily throughout the entire film. The problem is, it isn't much fun to be really uncomfortable and annoyed for an hour and a half straight. I must have looked at the clock 100 times while watching, in the hopes that time was passing faster than it seemed. (Special Note: White goes further in the movie to heighten the tension by having many scenes and themes with homosexual content and overtones. I am not particularly bothered by the subject, but it is certain that White was aware of how uncomfortable many people are with such portrayals, and did his best to heighten the discomfort that way as well.)
So, you're asking, why in the holy hand-grenade is this guy recommending a movie he hated so much? Well, I suppose the answer is that I didn't actually hate the movie. I just hated watching it. Even now (several weeks later), I'm still not entirely sure that I liked the movie, either, but I know that it made me think a lot. Events in the last act changed my entire perception of what had happened in the first two, and kept me thinking for a good week straight. And, to be fair, from a technical sense everything about the film is done well. It's just not entertaining.
I don't think I really need to include the caveat that this film isn't for everybody. Probably I've scared many of you off. And that's fine, because it won't change your life, and it certainly won't be fun to watch. But if you're still brave enough, it will likely stick in your mind. And maybe (after a couple of weeks to think about it), you'll decide it was actually worth watching.
Hey, how did you hear about this movie? Where'd you see it?
I'd heard the name circulating in the "indie scene" for a while, as an interesting indie film. I don't remember where it came up the first time. Found it on Netflix like most everything else.
Dunno if I'll bother, but it's a great description none-the-less. Reminds me of a few other films I either sat through, or tried to and eventually turned off to get some time back from the end of my life. Punch Drunk Love is one such film. Kate and I couldn't get through more than the first 45 minutes, and those were painful. I would ask the question, "Why does dysfunctionality have to be uncomfortable?" Just something to think about I guess. American Beauty was dysfunctional, but not painful to watch. Perhaps it has to do with the pacing of the movie itself.
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I haven't seen PDL yet. I've enjoyed the other movies that Paul Thomas Anderson has made, so I thought I'd like that one as well, in spite of the adam sandler connection. But I haven't been encouraged by what other people have been saying about it.
I guess the difference with American Beauty is that its the fun part of dysfunctional (annoying pun not intended). Sort of like "As Good As It Gets" which is the fun part of obsessive compulsives. However, dysfunctionality isn't always fun, and sometimes that may be the more important portrayal.