i heart huckabees
i heart huckabees - directed by D.Russell
This film follows four different individuals – an environmental activist, Albert (Jason Schwartzman); a fireman, Tommy (Mark Wahlberg); a TV commercial model, Dawn (Naomi Watts); and a corporate hot-shot, Brad (Jude Law) – who employ "Existential Detectives" Vivian and Bernard Jaffe (Lilly Tomlin and Dustin Hoffman), and their rival, author Caterine Vauban (Isabelle Huppert) in an attempt to bring meaning to their lives.
The story follows the main character Albert, a poet and activist, who wants to be recognized and important. His life and work situation instead is falling apart. We also follow Tommy who questions everything after 9/11 and whose marriage starts to unravel because of all these questions. Albert originally hires the "Existential Detectives” to figure out three coincidences that recently took place in his life. Later on in the movie Brad hires the "Existential Detectives" to undermine Albert but it back fires and they slowly unravel his life. The "Existential Detectives" key theory revolves around the idea of how we are all interconnected in this world, while their rival, Caterine Vaubantries shows them that truth is derived only through pain and isolation.
The movie starts off showing people living on the surface of life; but if you only live on the surface you’re missing the point of life. The bullshit you get caught up in is meaningless and painful, but if you open your eyes and take a look you might really see what is important. There are some standout comedic vignettes sprinkled throughout this thought-provoking movie, for example, Lily Tomlin and Dustin Hoffman sneaking around, diving into garbage cans and being sprayed by a sprinkler. A non-mainstream comedy, Huckabees can be considered an acquired taste. I'll admit that a lot of people are not going to enjoy this movie, yet the quirky characters as well as the theories discussed within the movie held my interest and also made me laugh.
This movie is on my Netflix queue but I haven't seen it yet. I wasn't really sure what it's about until I read your review -- thanks for the push I needed to move it up to the top.
I saw this movie several months ago (so I've forgotten all the details) and was really disappointed. I thought it was trying too hard to be quirky. It seemed really long. Maybe that's why I can't remember much about it.
But we did rent a really interesting documentary/movie this weekend: Grizzly Man.
haven't seen this film yet but it appears to be one of those 'love it' or 'hate it' movies. depending on who i ask, they either think it is brilliant or stupid.
will have to see it to make my own judgement. thanks for the review, paul.
your right about the movie Mark, people either get it and like it or don't get it and hate it.
the underline Tibetian method of meditation that is used throughout the movie i found interesting.( it also helped that i had ust read an article about Tibetian meditation around the time i saw the movie.)
but, i can can also identify with both Albert and Tommy characters in the movie.
I'll put myself in the thumbs-up camp. I think Mark Wahlberg's line, "See you at the fire, suckers" made the movie worth every penny, that is, if his speech during dinner with the evangelicals hadn't already. Perhaps my own mid-life crisis made me identify with many of the characters...including Naomi Watts in her bonnet. My equivalent of the bonnet, incidentally, is a pair of worn out, plaid-patterned (yes) sweatpants that always annoy my partner, who insists that they are not pants, but rather pajamas that I might not choose to wear in public. We've had endless conversations about whether or not there is any paradox in the phrase *pajama pants,* if we accept his statement that pajamas are not, in fact, pants. Fortunately, the sweatpants haven't been the deciding factor in our relationship.