Buffalo '66

Never even heard of Gallo: just happened onto this film on IFC one night and totally loved it. The acting was superb, the story even more so; and that camera work! Gallo's character, Billy Brown, was a picture of hate and resentment due to his unfeeling, unloving parents who made it clear from day one that he wasn't wanted, much less loved. This pushing away by these heartless, empty people turned young Billy into a introvert who was only able to find love within the confines of his own dreamy mind. Of course, this was insufficient which drove Billy to acting out in some bizarre and dangerous ways. Finally, when love does come it terrifies him and causes him to push away this affection continuing the cycle started by his parents. At times I found myself rocking with laughter at the antics of these hurting and emotionally scarred folks, but the tale was anything but comical. I wish there were more pictures coming out as interesting and dramatic as this.

Considering that Vincent Gallo made a film that i pretty much hated, THE BROWN BUNNY, It's reassuring that he still has made this great film. I really had a ball watching this one. From the opening sequence of him leaving jail to the heartwarming, yet chilling ending scene, this is a film with lots of great moments. A man has just gotten out of jail and is to visit his parents, but first he needs a girlfriend and decides to kidnap a ballet dancer and force her to role play as his girlfriend. But when she starts to get too into the idea, the man shows his limits in a series of comic events ranging from darkly funny, to very inspired. And yet in between these events are moments of extremely depressing and moody sort of moments that elevate the film into a truly original masterpiece. A little bit brutal, a little bit surreal, and very depressing, the film manages to strike a perfect balance of comedy and drama and incorporate them into a truly original independent classic. It's definitely not for everyone, as a lot of the films i comment on are, but the audience that it is made for will fall in love with BUFFALO' 66.

Vincent Gallos directorial debut film. Billy Brown who is just released out of prison abruptly kidnaps Layla, an amenable tap dancer to pose as his wife while he visits his parents for the first time in 5 years. The raw cinematography and unconventional editing makes this movie unique. Billy's resilient persona and Layla's willingness keeps you intrigued. With performances by the characters that you never see coming, this blossoming romance between two complete strangers becomes relatable and captivating.

This movie is pure art, plain and simple. Even if the movie might not be to your taste (a lot of people don't like this film at all, and they find it boring and meaningless). Hopefully one can agree it is really nice to know that there was once a time and place when American Independent Cinema really had a heart and soul and it is in full exhibition here. Classification avant-garde.

Vincent Gallo wrote the story and screen play, directed the film, and was the main star. Vincent Gallo fresh out of a five-year prison stint who really needs to take a leak but can't find a bathroom anywhere.

Easily one of the best contemporary actresses ever, Christina Ricci (who plays Layla), enters and is literally kidnapped by Vincent's character. This happens realistically, with a dark sense of humor-- (in a building where he almost finds a toilet), brings her to his family and poses her as his wife. We then get a wonderful half-hour of the biggest generation gap in history in which Gallo, Ricci and his parents, Angelica Huston and Ben Gazzara, have the most complicated anti-bonding dinner in history.

This indie gem is downright brilliant with wonderful imagery, antique film stock, strategically placed camera-angles and split screens that all work to embody the dreamlike... or rather... nightmarish quality. Also, needing to be mentioned it the soundtrack of this movie which personally I believe to be among the best, featuring original music from writer, director and star Vincent Gallo as well as prog-rock artists like Yes and King Crimson. Buffalo '66 is an exceptional film IMO.



Interesting cinematography note: Buffalo '66 was shot on a Reversal stock that the NFL used to use to film games back in the 1970s. It was out of production and Gallo's production gathered all they could to shoot the film and give it it's gorgeous wintery palette.

In real life : Ricci and Gallo did not fancy one another.

Model, actor-director and sometimes singer Vincent Gallo has a very good memory ... and very, very loose lips to match. Gallo, who wrote, directed and starred in the darling indie film "Buffalo 66" in 1998, has reportedly talked smack about Christina Ricci, his co-star in the film, to a New York Post Page Six columnist, according to a Mr. Showbiz report.

Gallo: "It was OK when she wasn't drunk on the set. I think she's an alcoholic -- it was either that, or she was on cough syrup the whole time," Gallo allegedly said about Ricci.

Hold on, it gets better/worse .

"I don't like her," Gallo reportedly blabbered on. "She's an ungrateful c***. But it was OK. She's basically a puppet. I told her what to do, and she did it."

And better/worse.

"She lost 17 pounds, and that was because I only let her eat one whole pizza pie every day," he said.

And this was Ricci's response in an interview from 2007 (questions bolded this time):

Quote: It's ten years since you made 'Buffalo 66' with Vincent Gallo.

I was seventeen, yeah. It was my first movie away without my mother. Not a wise choice. I really didn't understand what was going on most of the time working with a crazy lunatic man. I'd never encountered such insanity.

He said some nice things about your weight.

Oh yes, I've been there. Horrible things. He waited three or four years and then decided to make fun of my weight at the time that we were shooting 'Buffalo 66'. He waited that long to make fun of a seventeen-year-old. It's so bizarre, and I hadn't seen him in years, I hadn't done anything to him. It was just like: okay, a. s . s hole.

Did you get on with him when making the film?

No, not really. He's one of those people who sometimes he's so nice to you and then the next he imagines that you've done something horrible and he'll start screaming at you. It's difficult to get on well with someone like that.

Did you see his next film, 'The Brown Bunny'? Oh, I didn't see it. I have no interest in seeing anything he ever does again.

*** out of **** stars

The only sequence of Buffalo '66 that warmed my heart with thankful relief from almost two hours of wondering why the main character - Billy Brown (Vincent Gallo)- would make such unorthodox decisions against the obvious, right decisions, was during the last five minutes (approx.) of the film. What a pay off! What a tension breaking five minutes it was! I felt I could breathe easy after happily discovering that Billy is a man that can make loving, almost predictable and sane decisions after all, and all because of Layla (Christina Ricci), the new angel in his life, who he haphazardly "kidnapped" in a dance studio; who he finally realizes is his savior. We never find out much about Layla, if anything at all. Where does she come from and why is she the way she is? Why does she see a loving light in despicable Billy? Why doesn't she leave him, after so much verbal abuse and selfishness? I believe the reason she doesn't is because director, writer, composer and actor Gallo understands that in most scripts out of cliché Hollywood, she WOULD leave Billy. And then what kind of movie would we have? One that we've seen time and time again. The decisions that the characters make in Buffalo '66's entire time frame are the antithesis of conventionalism.

What makes Billy Brown tick is strenuously simple, but only after a fair amount of contemplation after spending time with him: his parents, played by Ben Gazzara and Anjelica Huston, have systematically not given their son an ounce of validation of pride or yes, love, for his entire life, spent in frigid Buffalo, New York. Billy has spent his whole life excessively fabricating his importance in hope to gain that validation, but never with any success. Whether biological parents can demonstrate such intense apathy and coldness toward their own flesh and blood, as seen in this movie, is up for debate. But if they were able to be so callously and blindly bold, the bitter and sad result of such a man as Billy seems plausible. Gallo's skillful acting ability in his role floors me, because we actually somehow care for Billy. And why should we? Because through his sin we envision humanness that, I believe, we can all relate to: the errors we make; the lack of self-worth we may feel; loneliness; rejection; and the pain that is inflicted upon us from those who are supposed to unconditionally love us the most. Ricci's astounding performance, which I believe carries the most improvisation of any character in the film, brilliantly sheds the most light on the movie's message, which is: when someone cares about you more than themselves, it can truly change you for the better, no matter how much emotional baggage you may have. If we all had a Layla in our lives, psychiatrists would go into extinction.