Drunkboat

Probably the most insignificant film I've seen in living memory. It's a patch of grass, a black sky at night, Tony Blair's obnoxious smile. It's just 'there'.

Here's the plot in a nutshell: A woman's drunken uncle (played by John Malkovich) turns up one day. Her son and his friend plan to get him to co-sign on a boat they plan to buy from a corrupt dealer, since their mother won't allow it. That's that. Oh, of course we have many 'meaningful' chats along the way about the alcoholic uncle's childhood, a bit of comic relief as John Goodman hams it up as the nasty boat seller, and a lovely ending where, despite all the weirdness surrounding them, everyone gets together for a GROUP HUG.

It just... doesn't amount to anything. In fact, as I sit here typing this now, I am struggling to recall a single moment. It is literally, vapour. I don't hate it, since it held my attention. I just feel like there are better ways to spend your time. Maybe, on something a bit more energetic. Like an episode of Heartbeat. 5/10

Sunk without a trace, as this quirky little film obviously did, what with good, respected and serious actors John Malkovich and John Goodman aboard (enough of the puns....)

I caught it on Sky Movies premier, partly as I thought it might be a serious drama concerning alcoholism. It isn't but has comedic, jaunty music and amateurish, unconnected fantasy sequences that left me in a constant state of confusion.

If one knew the source material (if you actually wanted to) then that might help and whilst Malkovich and Goodman kept it watchable, everything else is a distracting, mawkish blur that makes no sense. The only two user reviews I could find (on IMDb) were obviously fans and so loved it but I wanted an unbiased opinion. It wasn't a total waste of time, with some very good acting, especially from the alcoholic Malkovic, but I couldn't help feel that my time would have been better spent doing something else, or at least, purposeful, like the washing up!

I guess that the actual narrative (what there is of one) isn't going to be what attracts you, here, so I'm not going to hurt my brain any further by racking it and trying to write it down. Apologies if that disappoints anyone. It was director Bob Meyer's first and only attempt as writer/director of a movie and it badly shows.

If you want to rent or buy the German release of this, be aware that the movie is only rated "6+" and not "16+" as the cover suggests. Now why does it say so? Because the disc has trailers on it that are rated "16+", which makes the Disc itself rated that way too. Now that that is out of the way let's get to the movie.

It's as you might and should expect a very slow drama. The first ten minutes (and the rest that follows of course) will prove that to you. But it's not like this will be a waste of time. Especially if you like your movies slow like that. There are values to be found here and there is redemption that may or may not come. It's about human downfall and deception. And it has two great actors playing lead roles. It does suffer a bit from its own pace towards the end, where it could have picked up the pace a little, but other than that, this is solid

I recommend this movie based on excellent performances, a quirky, moody, suspenseful feel very well supported by unusual and highly effective music, and excellent cinematography.

This is a "small" movie in that it is based on clearly defined scenes, separated by time and geography, juxtaposed together to let the story unfold. The screenplay's roots in Bob Meyers's original play are clear.

The movie is also understated, leaving some of the work to your imagination. I like this in a movie, but others might find it unsatisfying. This understatement allows a delightful kind of organic humor to creep in from time to time, and allows suspense to build as well. Good job with this quirky directing style!

Several of the scenes between the John Goodman character and his business partner had the feel of two veteran actors sitting in front of a camera and improvising: "You are two sleazy hustlers that have worked together for a long time, but one of you is having second thoughts. Act!" They did a nice job with these scenes. Unfortunately, I dunno, to my mind all of those scenes after the important opening of the movie might better have been left on the cutting room floor. (Or, else at least include the other resolving scenes that would have let them actually mean something.) Certainly I would cut everything having to do with the partner's son and son's girlfriend, which added nothing, and had nothing at all to do with the rest of the movie.

John Malkovich was excellent. With him the movie is intriguing, and suspenseful. You cannot tell what is going on in his head (is he a brain-fried drunk, or is he in control, perceiving much that he is not letting on? Is he going to take action leading to violence?), but you WANT to try to figure it out. Without his stellar central performance, the movie would risk not hanging together at all. Yay to the Vietnam reminiscence scene with the chickens!

All of the performances in the movie were good (save perhaps the son's friend who had a small part and was passable). All of the acting was underplayed and subtle. Everyone was believable.

Much of the magic of the movie came from the mix of the unusual, but unusually effective, music, mixed with the brooding, darkly ethereal, cinematography. No schmaltzy rehashed formula strings with repetitive piano plonks here. Much attention was paid to instrumentation (steel drums? overtone-laden bronze prayer bowls?) and the effective use of space in the music to build suspense. The music, the sound, the camera angles, the overall mood in the camera-work did much to focus our attention on the meaning of the performances. Outstanding!

The *look* of the movie was also excellent. Even the pan-overview of a brick bungalow in Morton Grove gave us the feel something was going to happen. Be alert! The collage of old rotten boat-bottoms, mud, ancient house-trailer interiors, Southside Chicago expressways at night, rivers, power-lines, bars, and so on really captured the perfect mix between a real close-up view of Chicago, and the magical, beautiful, world of cinema.

I might have chosen a different ending, but in the interest of no spoilers, I'll not say more.

One theme about the movie stands out: "Non-judgemental." In this particular way it had echos of Van Sant's "Drugstore Cowboy" -- and I mean that association to be high praise.

In short, this is a quirky, small, suspenseful movie that leaves plenty of room for the viewer's imagination, with outstanding music, with excellent cinematography and camera-work, and with some outstanding performances. It is probably not for everyone, but well worth it for the someone wanting to see, and hear, something unusual.

NOTE: A year later I am adding this footnote. This turns out to be one of those strange and wonderful movies from which the images haunt you a long time. I am very disappointed that it has not been released in theaters. Many movies have come and gone in my mind's eye since I saw this gem, but while they have faded, the images from this movie are still with me. Good job!

This is not a film for those who want speedy action, but the reverse. This odd movie plays entirely by its own rules, and it is not a masterpiece, but a really good try!

John Goodman, John Malkovitch, and Dena Delaney, are the pro stars in this little film about life, and dreams, while the younger kids (Jacob Zachar, and Skipp Sudduth in particular) do a great job here, too.

Slowly goes the story forward, in some ways reminding me of Kurosawa's movies about odd people, like his Dodeskaden.

A great, fresh, experience this film was, and I can't for my life understand why it has got such a low point as 5.0!