A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III

"Maybe someone hurt me, you ever think of that, maybe someone hurt me." Charles Swan III (Sheen) is having a bad day. His girlfriend just broke up with him and he has a near death experience. When he wakes up in the hospital he begins to go over what happened. This is a very hard movie to review. It was very bizarre but OK. The only real way to review this is that the movie was written and directed by Roman Coppola. While this is his first real movie he has directed he helped to write Moonrise Kingdom and Darjeeling Limited. The movie has a type of a Wes Anderson feel to it so if you like his type of comedy then you will like this. If you don't get or don't like his humor then I would avoid this. That is really the only thing I can say about this movie. Overall, not bad but really made for a specific audience. I give it a B-.

It's hard to tell whether "A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III" is a good-natured bit of self-parody on the part of Charlie Sheen, poking fun at his reputation as a compulsive womanizer, or a vanity project designed to showcase the actor's now-legendary sexual prowess and playboy image. I suspect it's the former, but even if it's the latter, it still doesn't make for a very entertaining movie.

In plot, the movie feels an awful lot like a full-length version of "Californication," as a middle-aged, sunglass-wearing Angeleno laments how he's screwed up with the love of his life (Ivana played by Ketheryn Winnick) because he's never grown up enough to stay committed to a monogamous relationship.

Writer/director Roman Coppola's eclectic, scattershot approach alternates between scenes set in reality - or a close proximity thereof - and wild, but surprisingly flatfooted fantasy sequences heavy on op and pop visuals and graphics (Charlie is himself a successful graphics designer) and light on originality and cleverness. Apparently, there's not really all that much worth taking a glimpse of in ole Charlie's mind after all. Indeed, despite a big name cast that includes Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman and Patricia Arquette, the movie feels an awful lot like a third-rate film school project that somehow got green-lighted by an actual studio.

I have to agree with much of what (but not all) critics said about this film. Yes, many of the things they say are true. However, I also agree with what Hoop posted here about this film. There is a 70s kind of scattered filmmaking feel to it that has appeal in the format of this type of film.

It's one of those films I rate lower than how much I kind of liked it. It's not a brilliant work flawlessly executed, but it has a glisten to it in places, that kind of odd appeal that makes it worth having done it. You see, some projects I feel just had to be done so then we can move on. It's not that it shouldn't ever have been done, but that it allows for an entertaining time and it is merely what it was perhaps meant to be (which I'll leave to the viewer's POV).

I just kept thinking, wondering, while watching it (knowing it was probably slammed by the critics which I know now, it was) that it is going to be one of those films someday, slammed at release and yet rediscovered and rethought later, and more appreciated then perhaps in historical ignorance as happens. But through that objective hindsight kind of way that allows us to, at some point many years later, appreciate the currently appreciable. Cheers!

A GLIMPSE INSIDE THE MIND OF CHARLES SWAN III is just that. A quick glimpse inside the mind of a self-obsessed, sex-addicted album cover artist who's sanity and life are put into question after his latest girlfriend breaks up with him.

Charles Swan III is lightly played by Charlie Sheen, who, looking worse than ever, might seem perfect for the role but only makes it that much harder to care for the character. His mind, life and the film are a chaotic mess. His regrets, his pain and loss come off so insincere, it's boring to watch. What keeps us watching the film is the genuine laughs brought by Jason Schwartzman and Bill Murray, who play parts in Swan's real life and multiple roles inside his warped mind. It is the scenes they are in that save the entire film from being a complete failure.

Roman Coppola's bizarre odyssey never takes itself too serious, creating a world where anything goes. That, in itself, is a great achievement for a writer/director. It's hard to tell if it's Charlie Sheen's lack of a performance or if it's the written character's lack of genuine heart that holds this film back from becoming what it was hoping to be: a film for those of us who crave originality and appreciate dark chaotic comedies no one else dares to make.

It helps when you are not sober when watching this out of whack cheesy flick, directed by the son of the all time great Francis Ford Coppola (The Godfather). Roman Coppola even starred (as a little curly boy) in the all time classic The Godfather, but Roman has mostly been making music videos while wearing Italian clothes and he hasnt inherited the talent his father had to tell a coherent story, because this movie is all over the place, but in a good cheesy way...

A story about heartbreak, starring the ultimate friendly whacko Charlie Sheen, who is still so cool, calm and collected as ever before. Terrific supporting roles by Bill Murray and Patricia Arquette. Great soundtrack. Wacky photography. And filmsets and props that are to die for!

Best consumed when one is NOT sober...