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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 21, 2004)
BY LOIS WADSWORTH CLAUDETTE BARIUS. FOX SEARCHLIGHT, 2004 Existential Detective Bernard Jaffee (Dustin Hoffman) zips Albert (Jason Schwartzman) into his bag. Being or Nothingness An absurd comedy from David Russell “A TOTALLY EPIC, EPIC" - CHRIS ANTHONY I HEART HUCKABEES: Writer, director, pro- ducer David O. Russell. Co-writer, Jeff Baena. Producers Gregory Goodman, Scott Rudin. Executive producer, Michael Kuhn. Cinematography, Peter Deming. Production design, K.K. Barrett. Editor, Robert K. Lambert. Costumes, Mark Bridges. Music, Jon Brion. Starring Jason Schwartzman, Lily Tomlin, Jude Law, Isabelle Huppert, Dustin Hoffman, Naomi Watts and Mark Wahlberg. Fox Searchlight, 2004. R. 105 minutes. O FEATURING MUSIC BY YELLOWCARD COLDPLAY RADIOHEAD JANE'S ADDICTION BUY A TICKET AND GET FREE STUFF * FREE LIFT TICKET TO MT. HOOD MEADOWS FREE TWILIGHT TICKET TO WILLAMETTE PASS RECEIVE $25 OFF OF A $100 PURCHASE AT PEAK SPORTS *RESTRICTIONS APPLY. CHECK WARRENMILLER.COM FOR DETAILS DISCOUNTED TICKETS: BUY EIGHT OR MORE, SAVE $1 OFF EACH TICKET, BUY TWELVE OR MORE, ALSO GET A WARREN MILLER DVD. BY PHONE ONLY: 800.523.7117 Tickets available at Peak Sports, Ticketmaster outlets and Austin Auditorium box office night of show only. CORVALLIS OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY AUSTIN AUDITORIUM Wednesday, October 27th 8:00 pm EUGENE MCDONALD THEATRE Thursday, October 28th 8:00 pm CHECK OUT WARRENMILLER.COM FOR MORE INFO 46 OCTOBER 21, 2004 ne of the funniest and smartest films of the year, David O. Russell’s lovably eccentric I Heart Huckabees, defies categories, like Spike Jonze’s Adaptation and Being John Malkovich. In the same way you can say Adaptation is about writer’s block and Malkovich is about identity crisis, Huckabees is about the meaning (or futili- ty) of life. I laughed out loud a lot, saw myself in every character and came away dying to see the movie again. My favorite sequence takes place between Albert (Jason Schwartzman) and Tommy Corn (Mark Wahlberg). Let’s call it the Red Balloon scene. The men — oppo- sites by every obvious standard of looks, occupation, personality and intellect— have bonded in defiance of the Existential Detectives, Bernard (Dustin Hoffman) and Vivian Jaffe (Lily Tomlin), each has hired. The guys no longer believe everything is connected to everything else as Bernard and Vivian do. They don’t find life wonder- ful. Instead, Albert and Tommy have taken up the teachings of the Jaffes’ nemesis and former student, Caterine Vauban (Isabelle Huppert). Caterine sees life as a cruel, meaningless exercise. Besides, she’s sexy. Caught in a vise-grip between the Jaffes and Caterine’s polarized positions, Albert and Tommy have tried hard to resolve the thoughts that race through their minds. They’ve nearly driven themselves crazy. Now, they resort to brute force. Albert smashes the Red Balloon into Tommy’s face. “Again,” Tommy demands. Albert hits him harder. “Again,” he begs, and “Again.” Tommy stares into space, with a goofy smile. Now it’s Albert’s turn. “Hit me,” he cries, milliseconds before Tommy bangs the balloon into Albert’s smug puss so hard Albert falls over backward onto the ground. He picks himself up. “Again,” Albert orders. Repeatedly, Tommy slams Albert. When enlightenment dawns, a stupefied Albert struggles for words. It’s great, he says; for a minute, my thoughts stopped. Tommy and Albert figure they can knock each other batty every few hours to experi- ence a moment of mental stillness, which will help them figure out if everything is irredeemably fucked or not. This ploy is not the only way the film’s characters try to calm their anger and para- noia, but repetitive bashing works as a metaphor for what the film is getting at. Don’t ask me to be any more specific. For a fuller explanation, you’ll have to see the film. Other good reasons to see the film include the excellent cast, with Naomi Watts as Dawn Campbell, the Huckabee’s super store model, and Jude Law as Brad Stand, an ambitious corporate suck-up, who takes over the environmental coali- tion Albert founded, Open Spaces. On his way up the corporate ladder, Brad acquires Dawn. Schwartzman plays Albert as an annoy- ing whiner, a big-time bore, who imagines himself a deep, mature poet. Albert’s scene with his mother is a true gem. It’s not as edgy as the reluctant reunion in Vincent Gallo’s Buffalo 66 (1997), but Vivian and Bernard notice mother sheds a lot of light on Albert’s existential dilemma. Wahlberg plays Tommy as a buff fire- fighter whose vision of the world changed after 9/11. Trapped inside his head, Tommy can’t connect emotionally with his wife and daughter, who’ve left him. This role is a good stretch for Wahlberg, with its combi- nation of seriously questioning reality, self- examination and crude slapstick. Wahlberg worked with Russell on Three Kings (1999), in which he gave another memo- rable performance. It’s divine to see the ever-excellent Tomlin onscreen again. She’s a class act: a liberated comic actress. Tomlin and Hoffman make a surprising, pleasant cou- ple. When Vivian asks Bernard, “What are we doing tonight?” and he answers, “Korean barbecue,” you know their rela- tionship is hot. This film is a hoot. If you don’t need everything to make sense in the “real” world, this film’s for you. Like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, another of the year’s best films, give yourself over to I Heart Huckabees’ reality, and you’ll feel better! Opens Oct. 22 at the Bijou, with my very highest recommendations. ew
