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I saw this gem at a recent film festival. This is why I go to see movies - something original, something "real," and something important. I didn't find it preachy at all, actually I thought it got it's point across in the best way possible - by being funny and entertaining. The movie starts off by grabbing your attention with how weak of a character Casey is, and how cruel his world is. His world is unrealistically desolate and lonely. But the way he rises out of it is why the movie goes from boring Wes Anderson fantasy to kick-ass Fight Club absurdity. Yes, there are absurd moments but they are completely consistent with the theme of the movie. A theme that needs to be shown again and again in cinema. I won't explicitly state it, but it is the reason this movie goes from average to great, albeit 45 minutes in. A little more gruesome than I'm used to, but I still enjoyed it.

A few years ago, Chris Rock yelled "Im sick of having to defend hip hop." even though he said it a few years back, his words still echo loudly today. Much of the reason is that, sadly, there's not much out there in the mass media to defend hip hop. the genre holds less status than less innovative genres out there. and isn't even regarded as art. Americana, which uses rap as a marketing tool and extols its materialistic side, also ends up hurting artists who try to do more than just sell their products. We see the bling, but often miss the substance behind the bling. The end result is that, simply put, most people just don't get hip hop But wait, there is hope. There are a few things in the mass media that show the artistic side of hip hop. this film is one of those few gems. it responsibly shows the hidden brilliance of rap - the lyrics, the cadence, the competition, the art, the spirituality, the depth, the innovation, etc. this movie, although technically not the most fluid documentary in the world, shows great live footage that you wont find anywhere else. It honors the starving artists and displays the beauty of their talent. more importantly, the film achieves great tasks for the entire genre - it equates the underground with the popular, and it balances rap with the other genres that Americana holds dear… I cant get enough of this DVD. I'm glad its out there and i hope it adds fuel to a new trend of more cerebral depictions of hip hop

This movie blew me away. It puts society's definitions of Normalcy and Beauty under heavy scrutiny. What appears ordinary is often captivating; what appears unique is often forlorn; what appears powerful is often empty; what appears strong is often weak; what appears strange is often beautiful.

Every character in this film is brilliantly chosen and interrelated thematically. There's a high-school girl who is insecure about being ordinary. Another high-schooler who has "made" herself unique by molding her persona and ambition around what others have deemed desirable. A working mom who desires social ambitions so much that she is losing sight of her life. A domineering father who has long-since lost sight his life and who has taken social mores and discipline to the extreme. A reticent mother whose life is dead and who is trapped in perpetual depression.

But, wait - there is hope. He is a teenage boy who lives next door. A strange kid who is both spontaneous and genuine - without social ambition, without social inhibition. He finds beauty in the purest form(like a dead bird or a floating plastic bag). He inspires both his girlfriend and her father to change their lives. Most notably, this happens with Kevin Spacey - the underappreciated husband, hated father, and corporate kick-boy who, inspired by his unique neighbor, recaptures his life by liberating himself from his suburban shackles.