Floundering

(Note: Over 500 of my movie reviews are now available in my book "Cut to the Chaise Lounge or I Can't Believe I Swallowed the Remote!" Get it at Amazon.)

This sixties time-warped retro kind of "power to the people" nineties flick is mostly a procession of set pieces, some of which are not bad. The bit at the gun store with Billy Bob Thornton was superb. The crack philosophers scene was also very good. And the way "What's So Funny ‛Bout Peace, Love and Understanding?" was sung so badly was just perfectola. (Actually that's "What's So Bad about Peace, Love and Understanding?" but whatever...)

And the way that big silver fish popped those gold fish...gulp!

I think some of the negative comments about this movie ought to be greeted with a "Whoa, dudes--get a sense of humor." Or, "Don't be offended, man, it's only a movie." Or maybe, "Uh, the soundtrack is awesome, dude." (Oh, god, people really did talk like that!) The dream sequences fooled me at least twice. They were funny. Funniest line: when the trash lady pulls her rifle out of her cart and says "Vive la Revolution!" Second funniest line: "What kind of music do you want to hear?" "The farm report."

Okay, this was no masterpiece, and any episodic movie sans plot is not going to rival The Godfather here at IMDb. And James LeGros ain't no Marlon Brando. And if you've ever been to Venice Beach...well, you know it's a freak show. But I think director and screen writer Peter McCarthy did a nice job of bringing that slacker street scene to life. I think the big mistake was to headline actors like Steve Buscemi, John Cusack, Ethan Hawke, and Billy Bob Thornton when they only had cameos. That should have been made clear up front. And there was more than a touch of the kind of sixties moral pretension that we've all grown a little tired of. But bottom line for me, this was a funny movie.

Floundering is a film I could really relate with when I was fresh out of college, lost and feeling overwhelmed. It is well acted. Direction is passable, though not real important. It's well written if you don't mind breaking the cardinal rule of not having an interior monologue Voiced-over the whole movie by the protagonist. It's THAT kind of movie - where the most interesting action takes place in the characters' head and fantasies. It was also written in Los Angeles immediately following the Riots - which dates the film to anyone who has no memories of the event or climate of the time. (Merryl Fence = Daryl Gates. . . ) This is a character-driven film about a guy in a very confused, bad head-space. And it's good. . .until the end where the Elvis Costello kicks in and the theme of the film is kicked into your teeth with lots of bad singing. For anyone who has been 24 and depressed in the 90's, I'd recommend.

This movie saved me from suicide.

This is not a feel good movie for people who already feel good or people who feel bad and want to stay that way. It is for people who feel that something is wrong, about the world, about themselves, about life as they know it. They want to fix what's wrong but they don't have the energy, the knowledge or the power to do it.

Nobody wants to be the main character, Jon, but if you were ever a unemployed college graduate, who smokes. drinks, fornicates, and thinks too much, you know how he feels and have had at least one day like his. The only difference is he snaps. Most of us dont snap because we are afraid of what we might do. What the movie shows is the results would probably be more ridiculous than terrifying.

This is a little movie with big things to say. There are some genuinely funny, thought provoking, and disturbing moments in this film. I was surprised to see it rated so low. Certainly not intended to be an academy award candidate nonetheless this film shines in its own way. Floundering takes you on a strange and comical trip that at times poignantly illuminates the absurd realities of modern life. This film takes on many issues through the "floundering" character of Le Gros; recycling, violence,sexuality, drug abuse, wealth disparity, family loss,mental health, and human fraternity to name a few. Look for some great cameos from the likes of Steve Buscemi, Billy Bob Thornton, and Kim Wayans.

floundering is a good movie i don't care if it is "indie" or isn't cool enough to be indie. steve buscemi, john cusack or ethan hawke are fine in the movie and serve their purpose well.

~The movie suffers from many of the usual independant film problems: unconvincing sets, bad acting...~ HA do you know why independant movies are like that because they have no big budgets to work with. If you want those problems fixed go rent a james cameron movie and dont waste your time, so people like me who appreciate movies like this can rent it.

As for the character being in every scene, last time i checked the main character is usually in the movie or story quite a bit. how would a main character being in every scene mean death for a movie.

the movie is a few days in the life of a highly stressed neurotic guy who is fed up with the way things are going not a shallow guy. the back of the box usually sums up the movie for you, i suggest you start reading the back of the boxes before you rent anymore.