Schizopolis

I watched this movie for the first time a couple of months ago. I had to watch it twice because I didn't get the way everything fit together in the plot the first time. My impression at first was that this was a really funny satire of certain aspects of American (or just modern) society: People turning to self-help gurus for solutions to their problems, political conspiracy theories, the blandness of working in an office, the strangeness of dentists, the meaninglessness of everyday conversation/communication rituals such as "How are you?". In these first two viewings, I laughed frequently at the way Soderberg was poking fun at modern life. Really funny to me is Soderberg's low-key sarcastic tone. I definitely have shared similar feelings to him in my everday life. In addition, I enjoyed the cut-up style connected disjointedness of the film's plot.

But then I watched the film a third time with a friend and he laughed maybe one time during the whole movie. And after the movie ended, he told me he just didn't "get" some of the things Soderberg was trying to satirze. This made me reconsider the film, so I watched it a forth time and in doing so, I just found it more cyncial and not as funny. "Tiresome" is a word that comes to mind. Perhaps this film just plays better if one is in a cynical mood. Regardless, there are still several quotes from Schizopolis that I have incorporated into my daily life so that I can become a better person in a T. Azimuth Switters type of way:

"Be true to your teeth and they won't be false to you."

"I am Republican when it comes to most issues, but I'm a Democrat when it comes to gum control."

"Generic greeting!" "Generic greeting returned!"

"I really enjoy having sex with your wife. She's got a great ass."

"When I married her, she was like a blimp. But now she just keeps getting thinner and thinner. It's terrible."

"Dear Attractive Woman #2...I would love to have you standing near me, or beside me, or on top of me so I could watch you shake."

Overall, I think this film is well worth a watch. Even on repeated viewings, it delivers some humorous goods.

I will echo a comment that someone made about -The Big Lebowski- (my #1 favorite comedy followed by this delightful mess). "Warning: this film transmits on a strictly limited wavelength." If you don't catch this curveball, you're likely to be bored. I won't say that if you don't like it on first viewing, then you're never going to like it. In my case, certain movies get more enjoyable on repeat viewings even after receiving a ho-hum response the first time around. This is one of those movies. With a narrative more fractured than your average David Lynch film, there are connections between one scene and another that jump out and take notice only on repeat viewings, sort of like "portals" from one part of the movie to another. Music that plays, pictures shown on the wall, one-sided phone conversations, that sort of thing. Aside from the already-limited-wavelength humor, these amplify the laugh factor. This is a movie destined for some kind of limited cult-following someday, but keeping to a murmur level when you're standing next to an air conditioner. The Criterion DVD has some good features and outtakes, like the "Maximum Busy Muscle" segment extolling the virtues of all products vinyl.

Update Nov. '06. Re-watching this almost on a whim, and it all comes together (such as it is) even more. This is truly hilarious, a comedy masterpiece reveling in all its many absurdities, which come one after the other at a highly accelerated rate. I'm upping my vote from 9 to 10.

"You will learn something from me here today." --Elmo Oxygen (Noooo!!! Oooogghghgh!!)

Stream-of-consciousness conception, sharp writing and creative technique. There's plenty here to amuse any smart audience, but the parts add up to an (intentionally) oblique whole. The film is so playful and irrespective of convention, it's as if Soderbergh threw up his hands and said 'Screw it, I can't make the movies they want me to." Take it with his work since and you've got the most supple, witty and consistent filmmaker working in the U.S. today.

There's lots to analyze, and myriad connections to be made. But don't try to make too much sense of it... let it take you, and enjoy.

The reason is it is absolutely brilliant. In need of artistic renewal, Steven Soderbergh threw everything he could think of into this self-financed feature and the results are scattershot, inscrutable, unfathomable and -- above all else -- hilarious. Veering from biting social commentary to clever wordplay to a withering parody of Scientology, this film isn't the sort of thing one should rent unless you want to give your brain a workout.

Soderbergh has said that this was his attempt to pay homage to the "freewheeling" style of Richard Lester. Whether he achieves that or not is open to debate, but he certainly managed to create a one-of-a-kind film experience. Too bad few people ever got the chance to see it on the big screen.

In the immortal words of Elmo Oxygen: "I believe -- so strongly -- in mayonnaise." Words to live by. I know I do.

The first time I saw this film I was entertained and mildly confused by what I had just witnessed, it primarily represents a satiric look at modern life Pre Office Space, but saying just that does not do the picture justice. The combination of surrealism, satire and general creativity make this film worth while and most importantly worthy of multiple viewings. At times it feels as though it is being weird for the sake of weird but remains to peak curiosity. Some very funny situations and lines. Not for everyone, but for those looking for something different and willing to keep an open mind this is an excellent, original film. If you want loud bangs and shiny things, watch Soderberghs other films like Ocean 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 etc.