By Chris Kriofske
Rating: 4.25 cats
Director: Alex Ross Perry
Starring: Agyness Deyn | Ashley Benson | Cara Delevingne | Dan Stevens | Dylan Gelula | Elisabeth Moss | Gayle Rankin
Country: greece, united_states
Year: 2019
Running time: 134
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7942742/reference
Brett says: “Equal parts messy and well-crafted, out of this year’s many films to feature the trials and pitfalls of singer stardom, this one will takes the prize for most unique and likely the most authentic. This particular film carries an uncertainty factor that requires a second viewing in order to put my thumb on exactly where I stand on it. Like the central character of the film, the directions and content flies all over the place. It mixes tones, cinematic styles, and filming techniques throughout each of its five acts to establish the progression of the leader of a punk rock band through delusion, drugs, and a series of unspecified mental illness(es). Lead actor Elizabeth Moss puts in one of the year’s best performances to date, and at the same time, she confounds the viewer to a point where one must question if the acting is as out of control as the character being portrayed. At times, an impatient viewer might even feel as if the film runs too long because of how manic the episodes can be. As more screenings become available, I expect a heap of polarized responses to it. This was a film that left me with much to think about and take home with me after it was over. No doubt though, the lead performance left me with my jaw dropped in the level of commitment to the role.”
Chris says: “Elisabeth Moss as the cheekily-named Becky Something, a Courtney Love-style ’90s alt-rocker is an unlikely but juicy proposition, and none of that potential is wasted in Alex Ross Perry’s searing, challenging, exciting psychodrama. Consisting of five extended scenes, it’s clearly indebted to Cassavetes in its painfully raw dialogue and mess of emotions. It captures not only the frenzy of ratty concert venues and lived-in recording studios, but also their lingering monotony and ennui, conveying how music is still a business, a job breeding dysfunction like any other. Moss suffuses her bratty, monstrous tyrant with humor, weirdness and depth, exhibiting full command of her character’s startling emotional trajectory while also allowing other cast members (Eric Stoltz, Agyness Deyn, Gayle Rankin) to shine. HER SMELL is admittedly an acquired taste as it doesn’t hold back in its depiction of dark excess and terrible behavior, but it recreates a time and culture so fluently that it’s essential viewing, especially for those who lived through it. 4.5 cats
Julie says: “The movie was disturbing at some points (as intended). It will make you very anxious while watching in at least one particular scene if not more.”I loved Elizabeth Moss’s performance in this and Chris sums it up perfectly. She definitely channeled Courtney Love in this, although made her monstrous bratty character her own. I agree that she allowed the others to shine as well, (I would nominate Agyness Deyn for best supporting and Gayle Rankin was right up there). I loved a couple of the songs around beginning and end. Elizabeth did her own singing as well. I was impressed. She also spent 5 months taking guitar lessons so as to look like she could play and I thought maybe she was playing when I saw the movie (had to look this fact up).
“My one criticism is the movie was too long and I heard after the fact from a volunteer at IFF that other people had said this as well. To be fair, this was my 3rd movie that night and 6th movie in 3 days. I think I dozed off during/around the Beatles cover. What were they thinking there? Such a poor choice! I have no idea what the cover was as it was the most boring song I have heard in a long while. Perhaps Blackbird would have worked? Perhaps too hard for her to perform or that the piano was not right for it. Again the volunteer confirmed I was not the only one complaining about this choice of song. I know I have heard movies are edited after initial screenings so I can only hope these sentiments reach the right person and it is fixed.
“That all said I give it 4 cats. I would give it higher marks but for issues noted above. The acting was definitely a 5 for the main 3 female characters and the secondary girl band did a nice job as well. Eric Stoltz also did a fine job. His job was a lot easier though.”
Chris responds: “Not a Beatles cover! (but the original singer’s first name begins with the letter B.)”