I ♥ Huckabees is an eclectic “comedy” about a man in search of the meaning behind a seemingly innocent set of coincidences. This off-beat, slightly humorous movie is good for a chuckle or two, and might fuel some pseudo-philosophical discussions in coffee-houses after viewing, but don’t believe the packing propaganda about it being hilariously funny. Possibly seeing the movie in a theater, with a larger audience would have led to more laughing out loud, but on DVD the comedy definitely comes across more subdued.
Jason Schwartzman does a good job leading this ensemble cast including: Dustin Hoffman, Lily Tomlin, Jude Law, Mark Wahlberg, and Naomi Watts. The script is smart, and has some good moments, but the whole proceeding seems to suffer from a lack of cohesion. While the premise of an existential detective agency is a neat concept, the rest of the story, characters, conflict, and indeed most of the plot are only briefly sketched out. This serves to keep the movie moving quickly, and it never becomes tedious, but I would have rather come to care about one or another of the characters more at the expense of losing some of the “existential” schtick.
The writers are aware that they are badly abusing the original concepts of french existentialism. These existentialists are proactive, and intimately involved with their fellow man. Fundamentally, classic existentialism was about accepting the world, and your moral value was defined by the way you dealt with all that life threw at you.
In the end, I ♥ Huckabees is a fine evening’s diversion, and worth a rental, but only pseudo-intellectual movie buffs need to purchase it. (Yes Virginia, that means me.)
Thanks for the review. But I have to say…most existentialist Schtick (authentic or hollywood) tends to be whiney and overly self absorbed to begin with.
Personally, I cant wait to see HitchHikers Guide…Thats an existential theme I can get behind…”Hhmmm…My place in the universe?…I get to be a total shit because god doesnt exist and my actions are my own…”
…BOOM!
Thanks for the review. But I have to say…most existentialist Schtick (authentic or hollywood) tends to be whiney and overly self absorbed to begin with.
Personally, I cant wait to see HitchHikers Guide…Thats an existential theme I can get behind…”Hhmmm…My place in the universe?…I get to be a total shit because god doesnt exist and my actions are my own…”
…BOOM!
Thanks for providing a deeply informative review. You have definetly swayed my opinion as to whether or not to purchase the movie.
Thanks for providing a deeply informative review. You have definetly swayed my opinion as to whether or not to purchase the movie.
I loved I ♥ Huckabees. I actually did laugh out loud. Of course its a tortured view of Existentialism, but at the same time, there are glimpses of truth there despite the absurdity. Of course, I think that’s the whole point. In any event, I think I’ll probably buy it too!
I loved I ♥ Huckabees. I actually did laugh out loud. Of course its a tortured view of Existentialism, but at the same time, there are glimpses of truth there despite the absurdity. Of course, I think that’s the whole point. In any event, I think I’ll probably buy it too!
I hate Huckabees. This was the single worst movie I have seen in a long time. Tortured existentialism aside, the movie itself was just plain unbearable.
I hate Huckabees. This was the single worst movie I have seen in a long time. Tortured existentialism aside, the movie itself was just plain unbearable.