I [Heart] Huckabees

By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3 cats
Director: David O. Russell
Starring: Dustin Hoffman< Lily Tomlin | Isabelle Huppert | Jason Schwartzman | Jude Law | Mark Wahlberg | Naomi Watts

Country: germany, united_states

Year: 2004

Running time: 106

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0326977/combined

Chris says: Pretty audacious for a studio comedy, even if it’s technically an indie studio. David O. Russell’s existential romp is a love-it-or-hate-it receptacle if I ever saw one. I loved it, but I’m skeptical as to how much it’ll resonate with subsequent viewings like Wes Anderson’s work (which this is getting compared to, primarily ‘cause it’s quirky and features Jason Schwartzman). If anything, it has a solid cast with good work from Mark Wahlberg, Naomi Watts, and Dustin Hoffman and Lily Tomlin, the cinematic couple of the year (Streisand has some daunting shoes to fill in MEET THE FOCKERS). A silly movie that, nonetheless, makes you think. Awesome.”

 

Michael says: “David O. Russell’s I [HEART] HUCAKBEES is an entertaining film, filled with slapstick humor and big stars running around acting foolishly. For me it was Russell doing Wes Anderson, although to be fair, it could be the presence of Jason Schwartzmann in the lead role that leads me to that conclusion (although the existential, dark humor helped as well). It’s a fairly convoluted plot, that doesn’t really matter all that much, although I think a tighter plot may have led to more enjoyment on my part.

“Still, the comedic performances were terrific, especially from the women. Lily Tomlin and Dustin Hoffman play Vivian and Bernard, a pair of existential detectives who are hired by Schwartzmann’s Albert Markovski to help him with the coincidences that have been plaguing him. Albert is an activist with the group Open Spaces, fighting the blight of urban sprawl. His nemesis is Brad Stand (Jude Law), executive salesman of the Huckabees department store, who feigns interest in the Open Spaces campaign just to get Albert out of the way. Enter Caterine Vauban, played with typical icy sexiness by Isabelle Huppert. Caterine is a former student of Vivian and Bernard’s, who has taken existentialism to its darkest extremes. She lures Albert, and another former client of theirs, Tommy Corn (Mark Wahlberg) into her clutches and starts training them with her darker methods. The final main character to be tossed into the mix is Brad’s girlfriend Dawn (Naomi Watts) the voice (and body) of the Huckabees ad campaign.”

“Tomlin is terrific. Her handling of the physical humor (crouching on ledges as she spies on Albert; diving through car windows; trying to evade sprinklers; digging through trash barrels) is hysterical, and she and Hoffman make a good wacky team. Watts is fun as the ditzy model, as well as the woman who is tired of living up to her own image. But it’s Isabelle Huppert who steals the show for me, poking fun at her own twisted, sex-goddess image. A scene with her bringing Albert to confront his mother (played by Schwartzmann’s real-life mom Talia Shire) is hysterical. (It’s also reminiscent of ‘Six Feet Under’ in its parallels to Brenda and her dysfunctional parents.)”

“Unfortunately, there’s something about Jason Schwartzmann that bugs me. I like him well enough, but something about his presence is sometimes irritating. A fellow movie-goer who overheard me saying this suggested that it’s his ego, and he may be right. I was one of the few people who didn’t love RUSHMORE, and it may have been Schwartzmann that kept me distant there as well.”

“All in all, I [HEART] HUCKABEES is an entertaining film; more in the vein of FLIRTING WITH DISASTER than Russell’s more recent film THREE KINGS. He’s a talented filmmaker, but HUCKABEES doesn’t quite do it for me. 3 1/2 cats”

 

Tom says: “I almost completely forgot about this film, probably because I saw the much better SPRING, WINTER, SUMMER AND WHATEVER on the same day.

“I feel that this movie failed in the same way that SPRING, SUMMER, etc. succeeded. Instead of using the philosophy to tell the story, HUCKABEES uses the story to tell the philosophy. A philosophy I hope the authors of the movie don’t take seriously, because it’s so badly told. Dave Sim once said that Philosophy without God is just masturbation. While I find that statement a bit harsh (and I’ll agree to it if you replace ‘god’ with ‘spirituality’), that’s what this movie comes down to. The closest this movie comes to religion is only to mock it.

“It was a very entertaining movie, and I laughed quite a bit, especially during the dinner scene (which, oddly enough, is where the aforementioned religion mocking happens. I’m not mad at the mocking itself, because it’s deserved and well done, but at the failure to bring it up at any other point in the movie). And why didn’t we get more Richard Jenkins?

“So yay to good dialogue, learning that Matt Damon (ed. note: Mark Wahlberg) can indeed act and the subtle comedy. Boo to the half-baked stoner philosophy.

“I am willing to admit that I may be off on this movie, and it’s instead making fun of badly-thought-out philosophy. I’ve been fooled this way before.

“So a very funny movie, a very entertaining movie and while I appreciate the attempt at something deeper, it just fell short, lowering it in my eyes.”

Hilary responds: “Matt Damon? Did I see a different version?

“I really enjoyed Mark Wahlberg’s performance. I think he does best with roles where he plays an earnest, somewhat misguided, but ultimately well-intentioned, guy. The image of him riding his bike in full firefighter gear while his coworkers are stuck in traffic made me giggle well after I left the movie.

“He’s getting a Best Supporting Actor nom from me, and I’m seriously considering Best Cast even though Jason Schwartzman was disappointingly flat. I was pleased that Isabelle Huppert, at her slinky best, kept shoving him into a mud puddle, ’cause he
deserved it.”

Tom responds: “Ah. Well then. Matt Damon remains a bad actor. I’ve liked Wahlberg in many other films. They really shouldn’t be so interchangeable in my eyes, but they are.”

Diane responds: “I am with you, Tom, that this is a dud on the philosophy front. There does remain that small hope that it is so satirical that I couldn’t grasp it…. But better to see WAKING LIFE a few times more.”

 

Carolyn says: “The pacing was pretty hard to follow. They seemed to race through the deep stuff and linger on nothing at all. As someone pointed out this may be intentional as it was clearly a spoof. Overall it was a fun diversion, and Jude Law did not impress me much. 4 cats”

 

Bruce says: “Had I written this review five minutes after seeing the film, I HEART HUCKABEES might have fared better. Billed as an existential comedy, this film is only occasionally funny. Details have disintegrated in my mind largely due to the fact that the script is poorly written. Some writer/directors handle large casts better than others. David O. Russell writes more like Paul Rudnick (who fortunately does not direct) than Robert Altman. Rudnick always is more interested in the individual moment rather than integrating the whole. When is comes to managing the big picture and tying everything together, Altman is a master.

“Environmentalist Albert Markovski (Jason Schwartzman) hires detectives Bernard (Dustin Hoffman) and Vivian (Lily Tomlin) to help him find the ultimate truth about reality. Bernard and Vivian’s philosophy is that everything is connected and meaningfulness surrounds each and every one of us, if we would just pay attention. Huckabees is a Walmart type giant that is threatening the nature preserve that Albert is trying to protect. Jude Law is the handsome, unsympathetic evil force behind the Huckabees’ expansion plans. Naomi Watts plays Law’s girlfriend who happens to be Huckabees’ top model. Mark Wahlberg is a firefighter and client of Bernard and Vivian. Isabelle Huppert is a rival French philosopher who espouses the theory that nothing is connected.

“The film moves towards a showdown between corporate board types and local activists. By the end, we learn that the embodiment of evil is jet skis. This comes as a mild surprise for Shania Twain appeared to have the edge in the evil department until the very end. Shania Twain? Thirty years from now should someone see this film the Shanai Twain jokes will be incomprehensible. They have almost attained that status three months after this film’s release.

“Jason Schwartzman is nearly inept in his role which weakens the film since he is the pivotal character. Isabelle Huppert’s role is poorly written and could have been a comic force had more though been given to the part. Jude Law gives one of his better-than-average performances as the vacuous young executive. Naomi Watts should have turned down this film offer; it will do nothing for her career. Dustin Hoffman is a pitiful comedian. I spent more time trying to figure out whether Lily Tomlin has had some dreadful new facework or her character was the one who had the dreadful facework. In either event, those thoughts eclipsed whatever her character was trying to convey to this viewer. Mark Walberg rises above the material and his fellow actors but even he cannot sustain a character that is poorly developed. Mark Walberg and Jude Law: 4 cats. Everything else about this film: 2 cats”

Thom responds: “I thought you were a bit too charitable, except for Wahlberg, who was terrific. Who would have ever guessed that he would out-act all these greats? Let’s all pray that Jason Schwartzman’s career is finally over! All in all, a terrific, insightful review.”

Scot responds: “I actually liked HUCKABEES quite a bit. It’s nice to see existentialism presented as it was originally meant to be: liberating, rather than disappointing. And I still find Jason Schwartzman to be a smart, charismatic actor.”