American Cowslip

Just as it's name implies, this movie grew on me. It certainly left me with a feeling to see it again to make sure I had connected all the metaphoric dots creatively laid out for me.

The film weaves and knots a moral tale implying that we are all not only enablers but addicts to something, whether it be drugs, past glory, love, control or freedom. The characters' cracked facades only temporarily protect them from the dangers outside their front door and inside themselves. While leaning on each other, none of the characters ever obtain the help they help they need to "kick the habit" and it is their eventual undoing. It is a sad tale in which everyone looses something, unable to break out of the sweet sickness enabling their self-victimization.

While slow and repetitive at times, the characterizations are humanely broad enough that we see a little of ourselves in each one. The lighting of the film in golden and sunny overtones, the over-the-top silly humor at times, the fair-like set sweetens the bitter lesson this moralistic tale pours for us to swallow. Just as there is no such thing as an American Cowslip, there is no such thing as just an addict out of control.

this is a perfect example of producers, writers, and director getting together and deciding to purposefully make a quirky crazy movie, with oddball goofy but lovable characters living in an exaggerated hyper color story book setting and fill the movie with some big Hollywood names! it doesn't work!

the plot line never gets beyond the stunted growth of Ethan's failed and sabotaged attempt to grow an American cowslip flower. none of the neighbors are remotely humorous or funny. Ethan is just so one dimensional the viewer looses interest in his erratic drug addicted reclusive life. and the women on the street all love him and for what reason we don't really know outside of the poker games. and the sudden jack and the beanstalk growth of the cowslip is just silly!

even goofy nonsense movies have to make sense somewhere in the story! this story is just a bunch of ideas thrown together to try to make an instant cult favorite. all it made was an instant failure.

skip it!

a cocktail of clichés, few good actors in bad roles, childish humor and blasphemies,absence of coherent story, a donkey and a Peter Pan complex case. nothing new or convincing. it can be one of comedies about small things or a mixture between American Pie and fake Seinfelt clone if has little measure. but it is only a basket with all in a kind of improvisation.Ronnie Gene Blevis in search of few scenes to make his role authentic. irony is a thin line, the situations are bizarre , the message is inexistent. the salvation - good intentions of makers who search present a case of good guy with a lot of sins. but the indulgence falls in contact with the pink end. conclusion - poor cast !

What a superb contribution to modern American film! I must admit that at first I was scared American Cowslip would fall into the dreary and desiccated trap that plagues some independent films; however, within the first 10 minutes I was overjoyed by the amount of vivaciousness and wit that flowed from the screen.

Co-writers Mark David and Ronnie Blevins are an inspirational team, and although he is surrounded by an award winning cast, Blevins holds his own in the spotlight. His character, Ethan, is eccentric yet lovable and he is harmoniously paired with his love interest Hanna Hall.

To me the movie is nothing less than 113 minutes of life, love, laughter, and addiction - without a single minute wasted!

I think this could have been an OK movie if the lead was someone else...or maybe not. He was just so disgusting. Whether this was intentional or not, given that he is a heroin junkie I have no idea. But I suspect the audience is expected to have some sort of empathy and/or sympathy for his character in a whimsical sort of way.

No, he was simply insufferable and it was hard to see why any of the other neighbours went out of their way for him.

The young teen neighbour (who, incidentally did look older) falling in love with him and all that was just plain creepy.

I hope this was not meant to be an anti-drug movie, because that is certainly not the way it came across.