Feeling Minnesota

started out amazingly - i could not stress enough how original the film is, idiosyncratic and very interesting, new to the best of my knowledge, for about the first half or three quarters of the film ... after that it is either stupid and unrealistic or overdone and exaggerated, eg. the level of violence is inappropriate for the rest of the thing, though even that in itself was fairly original in plot etc. ... the main reason i had the impetus to write about this film was that it was likely the only (or one of the only) keanu reeves films in which he actually performs well and gives an engaging and three dimensional character with EMOTIONS ... i want to like him, i really do ... this film definitely helped ... 7.5/10

This film suffers from being a hybrid between the Coen brothers and Quentin Tarantino in part. It's not violent or ironic enough to be a Joel Coen creation and not obscenity-laden or gory enough to be a Tarantino product. There is humor, however, in the bumbling of Vinny D'Onofrio's character and in Reeve's typically understated role. You get the idea the real "bad guy" in the film is the neglectful, dope-smoking mother who allows the older brother to brutalize and bully the younger. It's topped off with more goofiness with Aykroyd's Krazy Kop and Delroy Lindo's Gangsta role (I particularly liked the red hair gimmick). I missed this one when it came out and rented the video because I found the name, Feeling Minnesota, remindful of the Coen Brother's Raising Arizona. I found it very watchable and rather liked the ridiculous situations very dysfunctional people get themselves into. The only glitch seemed to be Cameron Diaz who at times seemed unsure what her character was all about. Still, there is much in this film to recommend it. I would ignore the more negative reviews found here: I've no idea what these people were expecting or wanting. Check this movie out for yourself and you decide.

I really liked this movie. It reminded me of the movie "Fargo." There were enough twists and turns mixed in with the goofball depiction of the characters to keep me interested. I thought the acting was good enough to make the characters surreal rather than stupid. This is a movie worth watching repeatedly. As usual, Keanu Reeves does a great job with his character from beginning to end in a spontaneous fashion as the situation is very fluid.

At first, I thought the script itself was mean-spirited and seemingly pointless. However, the movie in its entirety is very effective as a window into the lives of these rotten characters. The actors are the integral component in this movie; each and every one of them is so totally believable that I am still disgusted when I think of the film. I can't think of a single other movie that makes me appreciate it for the ability to draw me in in such a negative manner. I can't see this kind of film being done again, however. I think modern movie audiences come for the spectacle. With this movie, however, they are confronted with the same mediocre, selfish people that probably live in their respective neighborhoods.

Most films starring Keanu Reeves or Cameron Diaz are a safe bet for a big Hollywood blockbuster. This one stars both, yet is a rather low-profile affair which many poeple won't have heard of. Ironically, Reeves gives one of the best performances of his career because he isn't asked to play a one-dimensional man of action. Diaz is eye-opening too, as a foul-mouthed girl trapped in a dead-end existence.

The story tells of a young, aimless ex-con named Jacks Clayton (Reeves) who returns to the uninviting Minnesota town of his birth at the request of his mother (Tuesday Weld). She wants him there for the wedding of his elder brother Sam (Vincent D'Onofrio). However, when Jacks arrives he realises straight away that there's something rather fishy about the wedding. It turns out that Sam's bride Freddy (Diaz) has no desire to get married at all (she's only doing it because a nasty local gangster has bullied her into it). Before the wedding party is even over, Jacks has had sex with Freddy in the toilets; before the week is out, the pair have eloped intending to start over in Las Vegas. Suffice to say, Sam is pretty annoyed by what young Jacks has done....

Feeling Minnesota is a gritty, occasionally funny drama which benefits from its unfamiliar setting. Within its own admittedly twisted logic, the film's odd narrative works reasonably well. However, the characters are so amoral that it becomes hard to care what happens to any of them - including the supposed hero Jacks (who would make a fitting bad guy in most other pictures). The amount of coarse language is rather jarring too. You don't need to find swearing offensive to notice it, but if coarse language does bother you then it's safe to say that you'll be offended by the quantity of it in this film. The plot twists and turns in a very unpredictable manner, and makes for an interesting - if not entirely believable - experience.