Every once in awhile, my life is as poetic and mimetic of art as I'd always like for it to be. How appropriate, then, that my quest to see Wristcutters: A Love Story, was just that - a quest! I wanted to see a movie about people on a mission so badly that of course a few obstacles had to get in my way. But, last Wednesday, I finally got a chance to see it!
Unfortunately, I missed the first couple of minutes (parking in Los Feliz was, as ever, a hassle). It's a good thing that I only missed a few, because the whole picture is only 88 minutes long! I wasn't just surprised at the end that it was over, either - there were times during the film when I found myself thinking, "an act break already?" Despite the rushed pace of the movie, I enjoyed myself about as much as I think the filmmakers expected me to. There were a few laughter-inducing scenes, but for the most part I sat absorbing the characters without really cracking a smile. The fact is, the characters aren't the most sympathetic, because they all killed themselves. It's not like I wanted to judge them or anything, but their post-death personalities weren't super approachable, either.
Though the film had a lot of moments that made fun of itself, which I appreciated, and I thought the premise was smart and funny, it still felt unfinished. I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more (and as much as the trailer led me to believe I would) if the filmmakers had had the budget or whatever it was that prevented them from fleshing out the second half of the movie. It's not necessarily that I wanted to know everything about Tom Waits' character and the People in Charge - after all, Defending Your Life withholds information about the diegesis without being unsatisfying. But the conflation of all the plotlines at the climax was just so rushed, and I felt like a lot of entertaining material might be sitting on the cutting room floor (or in the writer's head).
I like seeing Patrick Fugit coming into more adult roles, and this had just enough adolescence in it to be age-appropriate. Leslie Bibb, Will Arnett, Tom Waits, and Shea Whigham were all very entertaining, and Shannyn Sossamon wasn't as annoying as she...could have been, in this role. So, I can recommend this film, but I really wish that the filmmakers had sat on it long enough to complete it. And if anyone's looking to enjoy Tom Waits acting in another film, I highly recommend Short Cuts, Robert Altman's 1993 adaptation of some of Raymond Carver's short stories. It's got a great ensemble cast - why wouldn't it, it's Altman!
Unfortunately, I missed the first couple of minutes (parking in Los Feliz was, as ever, a hassle). It's a good thing that I only missed a few, because the whole picture is only 88 minutes long! I wasn't just surprised at the end that it was over, either - there were times during the film when I found myself thinking, "an act break already?" Despite the rushed pace of the movie, I enjoyed myself about as much as I think the filmmakers expected me to. There were a few laughter-inducing scenes, but for the most part I sat absorbing the characters without really cracking a smile. The fact is, the characters aren't the most sympathetic, because they all killed themselves. It's not like I wanted to judge them or anything, but their post-death personalities weren't super approachable, either.
Though the film had a lot of moments that made fun of itself, which I appreciated, and I thought the premise was smart and funny, it still felt unfinished. I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more (and as much as the trailer led me to believe I would) if the filmmakers had had the budget or whatever it was that prevented them from fleshing out the second half of the movie. It's not necessarily that I wanted to know everything about Tom Waits' character and the People in Charge - after all, Defending Your Life withholds information about the diegesis without being unsatisfying. But the conflation of all the plotlines at the climax was just so rushed, and I felt like a lot of entertaining material might be sitting on the cutting room floor (or in the writer's head).
I like seeing Patrick Fugit coming into more adult roles, and this had just enough adolescence in it to be age-appropriate. Leslie Bibb, Will Arnett, Tom Waits, and Shea Whigham were all very entertaining, and Shannyn Sossamon wasn't as annoying as she...could have been, in this role. So, I can recommend this film, but I really wish that the filmmakers had sat on it long enough to complete it. And if anyone's looking to enjoy Tom Waits acting in another film, I highly recommend Short Cuts, Robert Altman's 1993 adaptation of some of Raymond Carver's short stories. It's got a great ensemble cast - why wouldn't it, it's Altman!
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