Beat

The last dregs of the so-called "Beat Generation"--writers in the early-1950s who used drugs and acted out their social and sexual desires--as gay writer William S. Burroughs has fled to Mexico with his wife Joan, only to see that marriage come to a shattering climax. Stylishly-presented, yet with practically no drive in the narrative (it's tough caring about these bored, reckless people when the direction is so dreamily disconnected). One character, Allen Ginsberg, literally ends up stranded on the roadside (for all we know, he's still there!). Performances are decent, if not dead-on: Kiefer Sutherland adopts a fey-yet-cynical manner that isn't really convincing, and Courtney Love keeps slipping into facile acting tips (faraway looks and open-mouthed depression). Both are watchable, but "Beat" should have been more. ** from ****

Look I think William Burroughs was one of the most important figures in not only post-War literature, but in pop culture generally. His work and ideas, and those of the other Beats, have had enormous repercussions on all kinds of arts, and have directly or indirectly affected many of our lives whether we know it or not. Burroughs life was almost as fascinating as his work, but you wouldn't know it from watching 'Beat', as it manages to condense some fascinatingly uncliched relationships into a soap-like love triangle.

I was suprised at the casting of Kiefer Sutherland at first. He isn't an obvious choice to play Burroughs, but he tries hard to humanise him. Unfortunately the thin script doesn't give him much to go on. Likewise Ron Livingston (best known for 'Office Space') does fairly well as Allen Ginsberg, but the script doesn't convince with it's simplistic, almost stereotypical drawing of a complex figure. Lastly, Courtney Love is fine as Burroughs second wife Joan Vollmer, but once again the writing simplifies a multi-layered person into an easy to grasp "character".

It speaks volumes that Cronenberg's surreal 'Naked Lunch' manages to give a much richer and more convincing depiction of these tragic events than the more "realistic" 'Beat'. Perhaps the only way to really deal with the Beats on screen is to aim closer to the approach of their own poetry and prose. The definitive movie portrayal of Burroughs, Ginsberg and co has yet to made. I hope one does eventuate as it's a story that NEEDS to be told!

A great find for anyone who finds themselves enjoying the Beat Generation literature, this is the story of one of the most tragic and pivotal points in their story, the death of Joan Burroughs.

Lucien Carr and Allen Ginsberg, on the eve of their skyrocket to fame, take a trip to Mexico City and visit Joan and William S. Burroughs. Burroughs has excused himself to Guatemala with a boyfriend, so Joan and the two old friends hit the road, reflecting on Lucien's time in jail, unrequited love, Bill's adultery, and the entire meaning of what exactly Kerouac was romanticizing. If you aren't drawn to the Beats and their story, you may want to stray away. However, if you want a sort of proto-"On the Road" mixed with the true story of the events preceding this pivotal moment in Beat history, you will enjoy this film.

More motivated by the recreation of the beat generation than by the film acting and production, I was gladly surprised by the respectful treatment of Mexico in this movie: the staging without trials of a country plagued by centuries of poverty, in the 50s, has in addition a careful photography and stunning natural scenarios in which the plot remains unalterable, professional and carefully conducted.

The outstanding performance of Courtney Love, personifying Joan Burroughs, is enhanced by her proverbial beauty in a performance that well deserves to be considered an icon in contemporary cinema. Courtney's big close ups emphasizing "I dare you" can take your breath away. Norman Reedus, in the role of Lucien Carr, gives a slight hint enacting his duties at UPI and clarifies his role in the beat movement. In the film cast Ron Livingston as Allen Ginsberg gives the picture of the introspective young adult he was. Kiefer Sutherland, as William Burroughs, has better lines than acting… yet, his presence is a must.

Finding Mexican actor Luis Felipe Tovar was a surprise. With his eloquent Mexican touch, he embodies a federal policeman in a Michoacan state country road. Memorable. His click on the words in Spanish is his natural; Tovar is definitely a character in alternative Mexican cinema.

The abuse of amphetamine "Benzedrine" and homosexuality are seen on screen without judgments and are merely descriptive elements of the narrative construction, as befits the vision of Gary Walkow, Beat's director.

Highly recommended.

This is a film drenched in a palpable sadness: the sadness of being gay in the 1950s; the sadness of being a woman in the 1950s; the sadness of being anything out of the ordinary in the 1950s. But I've been rereading a lot of Kerouac lately, and I don't think it would be a stretch to say that the whole Beat Movement was propelled by sadness.

This is also an intriguing film, though I wouldn't call it a great one. Anyone interested in the Beats should see it. But if you don't know the back story of these characters, I can imagine that much of what they do doesn't make a lot of sense.

I thought Courtney Love gave a remarkable performance, surprisingly nuanced, aided by her off center beauty. In Kiefer Sutherland's defense, I'm not sure even Bill Burroughs could play Bill Burroughs. And I wish Kyle Secor and Ron Livingston could have traded roles. I thought Secor captured Allen Ginsberg's manic charisma better, to the extent that when he was on screen, I felt like he and not Livingston, was actually Ginsberg.