Spring Breakers (IMDb score: 6.6, Rotten Tomatoes 70% Fresh)
Writer and Director: Harmony Korine (numerous short films)
Hopefully this movie isn’t taken too seriously by audiences,
because it is completely devoid of any semblance of morality or realism. Instead it combines two of the most idolized
elements of American youth: partying and the crime culture often promoted by
rap music. The result of this concoction
is a crazy, ridiculous, entertaining ride of a movie. Three ladies and their younger friend are
eagerly looking forward to, you guessed it, Spring Break, yet they have no
$$$. To solve this problem they cruise
to a restaurant where Brit (Ashley Benson) and Candy (Vanessa Hudgens)
violently rob the patrons. Up to this
point the movie was a haze of weed and booze and boobs, so this drastic change
of tone worked to great effect. The way
this scene was shot was amazing, and I won’t spoil it here. From a rookie director, I was quite
impressed. (continues after the jump)
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| Don't judge a book by it's cover |
Armed with the necessary cash the free spirits head to
Florida, where they are busted at a beach rager for drug possession and
underage drinking. Luckily for both them
and the audience, James Franco comes to save the day, playing a drug dealing
rapper known as ‘Alien’ who bails them out of jail. The rest of the film is hilarious,
continually upping the stakes of this already absurd premise. Franco is awesome as Alien, and the movie
manages to glorify the party-24/7 lifestyle about as well as possible. I’m guessing these weren’t difficult roles
for the ladies in terms of actual acting, but these characters were the antithesis to their Hollywood images.
There were plenty of laugh out loud moments, and also quite
a few where I just shook my head in amused disbelief. It was also amazing seeing Gucci Mane on the
big screen, and he actually has an integral plotline. Skrillex provided a lot of the soundtrack,
which was great because I like his music and his melancholy score paces well with the plot.
If you can accept this movie as a comedic parody, you will enjoy a wild adventure. It takes a familiar teen
movie theme and goes above and beyond the natural limits of the concept, and I
look forward to seeing what direction Harmony Korine pursues with his next
few films.
Grade: B+
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