Prince Avalanche

Prince avalanche gains much of its personality from the fire damaged forests that it takes place in. Despite the characters fairly trivial and base dramas that occur in their lives the film likes to remind us of the natural beauty that can be found in the remnants of what was once a community but is now being rebuilt by these two bumbling characters.

There's not a great deal of plot compelling Avalanche forward at times and often scenes will consist primarily of Paul Rudd and Emile Hirsch spraying new road surface lines followed by extensive hammerings in of poles. Although the film may appear slow I quite enjoyed the meditative state in which the film exists as the occasional bursts of personality were punctuated more by the peace that preceded it. The film is also often quite funny in my opinion but it's a very low key humble humor that won't have you in stitches but feels natural within the scene.

I also really enjoyed the truck driver character and subplot (I guess you'd call it) involving a woman who lost her house. I guess why these elements work so well is that you're constantly searching any one frame or scene for something that will advance the plot and although these elements appeared before my patience ever wore too thin, they're still quite few and far between. There also a scene which involves Hirsch and Rudd getting drunk and doing whatever one does drunk this deep into the woodlands which I found very funny and a definite highlight.

The film doesn't achieve any great heights and probably doesn't land as much humour or inject enough drama to justify its length I still enjoyed my time in the theatre and would recommend watching it if you're in a chill enough mood.

If two dudes quarrel in the woods ... do they make a sound? Director David Gordon Green has graciously stepped back from making underachieving R-rated comedies to give us what could end up amounting to an underachieving R-rated comedy, but in truth offers a good deal more.

Based on a story by Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurosson, "Prince Avalanche" follows two men doing road repair work in the wildfire-ravaged Texas wilderness in the summer of 1988. Alvin (Paul Rudd) has hired his girlfriend's brother, Lance (Emile Hirsch) to work alongside him hammering in reflector posts and painting traffic lines. The two are archetypal opposites: Alvin the focused, organized and wiser character and Lance the immature, unskilled free- wheeler. Their naturally tenuous relationship goes through ups and downs and unsurprisingly, the two find common ground in their opposite approaches and perspectives.

The David Gordon Green who directs this film recalls the one who made "All the Real Girls" and "Snow Angels," not the one appeared to steal his name and made "Pineapple Express," "Your Highness" and "The Sitter." One could argue it's a middle ground offering between Green's two extremes because of the film's comic angle, but the pace and style has more Terrence Malick influence than anything else and the humor isn't written in so much as it emerges organically from the back-and-forth of the performances.

With a combination of nature establishing shots, the camera zooming down a road and a stirring soundtrack from Austin-based post-rockers Explosions in the Sky (a nice local touch), "Avalanche" exudes indie-ness. It's quirky, comically exaggerated, poignantly human and Green tells it in a logical but atypical narrative structure. The film is a voice-over narrator away from being so independent it wouldn't be independent anymore.

Half of "Prince Avalanche" focuses on setting a reflective tone through visuals, while the other half examines these characters through their dialogue with one another. Much of the script consists of conversations that simultaneously reveal their utter simplicity as well as their true humanity. The story ultimately mediates on notions of loneliness and our need for companionship in both platonic and non-platonic forms.

Rudd and Hirsch make all the comedy click, though Green has a way of framing certain shots that bring out the humor in seemingly ordinary situations. Both actors are on top of their game -- few can strike a balance between comedy and honesty like Rudd and "Avalanche" is an ideal showcase for that talent. Hirsch, meanwhile, continues to offer up evidence why he's grossly underrated.

"Prince Avalanche" tries to find that sweet spot between comedy and relationship drama, and though it strikes a few resonant chords emotionally speaking, it's not nearly as fulfilling or powerful as Green's poetic imagery suggests that it desires to be. It has a bit too much fun reveling in its weirdness and goofy, innocent man-child characters, but on the flip side, how many films with goofy, innocent man-child characters even manage to achieve this level of thoughtfulness?

~Steven C

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"Prince Avalanche" is a great cinema experience for just about everyone. It begins as the ultimate road movie (literally, a pair of mismatched Texans spend their summer painting roads) but quickly takes a detour into a world of visual poetry, provocative characterizations and deep introspection. And all the while it manages to maintain a sense of brainless comedy that the storyline & DVD cover might lead us to expect.

In spite of its grand visual setting in the majesty & desolation of fire-ravaged Texas, this is a very minimalistic production with just 2 main characters, 2 supporting characters and 10 or 20 miles of desolate Texas roads in the aftermath of the 1987 wildfires (it was actually filmed at the site of the 2012 Batstrop County fire). Being set in the 80s adds to the comedy & charm of this quirky flick. Be prepared to see Paul Rudd sporting a very "Magmum P.I." moustache and white tube socks with those 3 funky colored stripes at the top.

There aren't a lot of big gags but instead the humor comes from the low-key bizarre dialogues between our 2 leads, "Alvin" (Paul Rudd) who is the self appointed leader because he's the self-proclaimed smarter of the two, and "Lance" (Emile Hirsch) who isn't the brightest doorknob. The laughs hinge on the weirdness of their discussions much like the hilariously strange banter between John Travolta & Samuel L. Jackson in "Pulp Fiction".

In all, "Prince Avalanche" is an excellent show of what the French philosophers might call "La Comedy Humaine" with its poignant look at human nature. And at the same time the movie isn't so heady that it's above an occasional brainless laugh, like having the two fight & chase each other through the forest with axes.

I wanted to mention 2 trivial tidbits in case you're interested in stuff like this: (1) The filmmakers note that no animals were harmed, so the occasional scenes of roadkill, fishing and what looked like a small skinned monkey for dinner were apparently props (this is good to know as a lot of indie films slip under the AHA radar and use real animals to save money on special effects), and (2) the excellent performance by supporting actress Joyce Payne (the woman in the ruins) was actually an unscripted addition to the film when they met Joyce, an actual ex-resident, while filming. As you will see, her character becomes pivotal to the story & meaning of the film, reminding us that great moments in cinema do often happen by accident.

"Prince Avalanche" is rated R which surprised me since there is no nudity, not much profanity and no violence. There are 1 or 2 dialogues about sexual situations which might get a bit racy for the kiddies, but other than that, this is a tame film. I highly recommend it to fans of Jim Jarmusch ("Down By Law", "Coffee & Cigarettes") and Wim Wenders ("Million Dollar Hotel", "Lisbon Story", "Alice in the Cities").

All hope was lost for David Gordon Green. After a string of cult-ready indie flicks, he sold out in the best possible way and made the hilarious Pineapple Express. I hoped it was a one off, or at least, that he would remain good at comedy. But the disappointing Your Highness and the 'I- can't-even-bear-to-look-at-its-IMDb-page' The Sitter don't look too promising for his future. Now with Prince Avalanche, it seems like he's taken a good look at himself and realized what he does best. Small scale dramas concerning the human condition, especially regarding romantic relationships. I always love good films about little-thought of jobs and the guys who do the line painting of the roads in the middle of nowhere is a fascinating one. Prince Avalanche is a dual character study of an introvert and an extrovert but goes beyond the 'odd couple' clichés. Together, they cover enough ground to find relatable areas, and with dialogue-driven scenes, it cuts to the core of what they live for and how that drive changes and grows throughout the course of the film.

Paul Rudd is absolutely outstanding here. I'm so glad he's finally found a role to test his dramatic talent without having to ignore his brand of comedy, though much of the humour of this film is incidental and sparse. He's incredibly subtle and commanding. Unfortunately, Emile Hirsch looks amateur next to Rudd and he rarely feels as sincere. Sometimes the little conflicts between them suffer because of it which make the film feel slower than it is, but they still drive the character development in an interesting way. Rudd aside, the highlight of the film is the great cinematography. Sometimes the cutaways and montages are more emotionally engaging than the words as they think of all the symbols possible in this environment with these characters. It's a film that conjures a mood more than anything and it reassures me that David Gordon Green never left, he was just taking a break. I regret that I've more or less forgotten what happens in his first four films but Avalanche makes me want to revisit them soon. It's a beautiful simple film which ends on a lovely hopeful note. A true catharsis from the social order of life and utterly refreshing to watch.

8/10

For those willing to try something different, you may find some value in this independent film. I thought the movie offered some quirky dialogue, characters, and situations, in its own quiet way.

Set in 1988, in the wooded areas of central Texas, near Garland, and not long after the devastating forest fires of the previous year in that section of the state. It's pretty much a two character film with Paul Rudd, making a change from the over-the-top lewd and crude of the Apatow-like movies, playing Alvin, who has left a serious relationship with a woman named Madison to "find himself" in the solitude of his new job in the forest. They still communicate by letter and he sends her money, as well as studying German language tapes so they can eventually re-unite and travel to Germany.

Alvin is the head of a two person stripe-crew (painting yellow lines along the roads of Texas) and has recently hired Madison's brother Lance as his assistant. Lance is portrayed by the talented actor Emile Hirsch, and is quite different personality wise from Alvin. He doesn't take the job very seriously, doesn't even like the outdoors, and is always horny.

I thought both Rudd and Hirsch performed quite well in their roles. Not everything works here, and sometimes the dialogue between the two seems flat and awkward. However, there's also lots that does work here and the rapport between them, even when they're bickering and arguing can be quite enjoyable. The late actor Lance Legault also adds some good comic relief in his role of a grizzled truck driver traveling the roads that Alvin and Lance are working.

One thing I particularly liked in the movie was the atmospherics and solitude allowed by the versatile director and writer David Gordon Green (Snow Angels, Pineapple Express) to just leisurely unravel at its own pace. It's unusual in today's film. It's not for everyone, but for those with the patience there can be definite rewards here.