Hurlyburly

Hey, it's another movie about nihilism run amok in Hollyweird! Without the powerhouse cast this movie would be unwatchable, but with the likes of Sean Penn, Kevin Spacey, Chazz Palminteri and Gary Shandling(!) menacing the screen, how can you say no? Meg Ryan finally gets to play the hooker with the heart of gold and pulls it off nicely. And little Anna Paquin (The Piano & Flyaway Home) is maturing, er, well, never mind (she doesn't actually show anything...).

Penn is to the "way-too-wired sleaze-bag" what De Niro is to the "Mafia hood," and I guess this is his Godfather II. The movie makes men look as ridiculous as ever, but then aren't we?!? As in real life, women fare only slightly better...

This is a recipe for filmmaking at its finest... Get a dialog driven play, get the playwright to pen it for the screen, and toss in two of the most intense and talented actors (Kevin Spacey and Sean Penn) in the business, supported by a very talented and surprising cast. What do you get? Hurlyburly! Billed as a black comedy, this is more what I would term "black hole" comedy. It is VERY dark, very disturbing, and the humor comes from the characters' need to lighten up a moment or to justify their actions. This film is NOT for everyone... If you're looking for anything truly humorous, this isn't the film. But if you want to see amazing acting and professionals who work well together, this is your film. Read other reviews with cautions on this film--don't confuse the tone of someone who hates what the characters stand for, what they believe in, and how they behave with the quality of the work done by the entire cast.

If you are in the mood to watch a play turned into a film, much like, "My dinner with Andre", this is the movie for you.

This is definitely a PLAY written for the screen. Most of the reviews I read here kept using a particular word to describe this film. WORDY. In my humble opinion, that is because the writer wrote the play and wrote the screenplay for this film.

This film is also written in a style most of the reviewers never mentioned, mainly because I dont think they have ever heard of it. Most haven't. Mainly because it is definitely not the style of writing someone would normally use for a film. It is called STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS writing. You start with one thought and go, naturally letting your mind just take the reigns and not stopping, no punctuation, just words.

That is this film. Just lots and lots of words. Maybe if they had chosen someone other than the guy that wrote the play, to write the screenplay, maybe it would have been more palatable.

Kevin Spacey does his usual mannered priss; Meg Ryan and Chaz Palmintieri are unsubtle and poor; the direction is unexceptional. But David Rabe's play is superb (and the cut-down, however it may displease fans of the play, is adequately expressive of the play's meaning). And Sean Penn is absolutely extraordinary--it's the best performance of the year. He gives the play a reason to have been sitting around for years. He wouldn't have done it as well as a younger actor; and I honestly don't think there is an actor working today who could have played it better.

You liked "Glengarry Glen Ross"? You're gonna love THIS one. Kevin Spacey doing his patented "snide" riffs. Anna Paquin growing up and showing some range. Garry Shandling? Who knew? Meg Ryan finally playing something besides America's Sweetheart. Disturbingly funny in some sequences (particularly the Sean Penn-Chazz Palminteri duets) and laugh-out-loud vaudeville in others (the Spacey-Penn cell phone bit is an instant classic). The ensemble cast, with excellent direction, gets all the rhythms of the script. It may look a little over-the-top here and there but it seems to be a conscious choice by the director in this epic send-up of 80's Hollywood excess.

While it's readily apparent that no one is going to go home humming the tunes from this one, it's still a bit surprising that the film garnered no major nominations. Same deal as "Glengarry". Give 'em a great ensemble in a black comedy with no discernible "star", a solid script and inventive direction and be prepared for the icy shoulder at Oscar time. It's an unjust world we live in. This movie deserves a wider audience but owing to the subject matter, it probably won't get one. But I'll give it an 85, Dick. It's got a great beat and you can dance to it!