cuban_QT

Like many others, I watched this movie on one of the indie movie channels on TV, mainly intrigued by the opening sequence (the shots of the characters shoplifting reminded me of the Breakfast Club for some reason--I think it was the trenchcoat and hi-tops) and unusual description. I didn't go into it with very high expectations, I guess because it was hard for me to get past "The Craft" in my mind. But I was truly shocked, and touched, by this film.

At first, the two characters seemed so strange, it was like they were trying TOO hard to be bizarre. But as the film progressed, their behavior took a backseat to the story that emerged--simply that of a star-crossed love, and the difficulty of being different in a society that has no place for you.

In a story that seems most familiar, the two go from one locale to another, seeking medicine, and comfort, but are turned away. The only friendly face they find is a self-ostracized woodsman, a self-confessed chicken lover. Just see it and you'll understand.

There were a couple of Harold and Maude references, including the final scene over Niagara Falls. It was just so powerful, the tension building to a moment you knew would be devastating...but it's almost impossible to accept how devastating it becomes. Left my crying for a good fifteen minutes. But it wasn't all sad. Marcy's disorder provides intentional comic relief at times, proving that sometimes laughing at the situation you're in is the only way to keep from going mad.

I will rent and watch again.

First and foremost, this film is defined by brilliant writing of Mr. Simon. Like many of his other works, it is the combination of impossibly comical situations and memorable characters that makes this one truly enjoyable. The film calls upon the actors to deliver stand-out performances, transforming the characters playing out this comedy into people who can convince us to suspend our disbelief and have a laugh. And they do deliver. The uptight character played by Jack Lemmon (a character bearing an uncanny resemblance to Felix Unger of "The Odd Couple") is hilarious because of the unflinching, consistent rigidity lent to the part by the performer. As the string of events becomes more implausibly horrific (each comically punctuated by Mr. Lemmon's insistence that the person responsible is being added to "his list"), the viewer can become totally caught up in the comedy, totally involved in the adventure. I believe that this film is a classic in the sense that the humor can still be appreciated to day, and that it did not need to rely on a sensory attack of the audience in order to keep their attention. Without special effects, a super-hot leading lady, a guy with a six-pack, or even profanity, this movie is at once sophisticated, enjoyable, and entertaining.