Well... our dear Abby... Abby Normal has chimed in with a pair of looks at films approaching us. In my opinion, GO is one of those films that... enters that great blackness of mediocrity... where it will simply float from memory. (That's my take anyway) THen we have Abby look at that AMERICAN PIE... so... read on.
I know people will like this movie, but I ain't that kind of people. That is to say, I am not a seedy Los Angelesian who can identify with the gritty honesty of "Go." All I can do is appreciate that this seems to be a realistic look at a world I am thankfully detached from.
"Go" will draw comparisons to "Pulp Fiction" and "Trainspotting," but similarities are only suface-deep. Actually, "Go" is pretty much only surface anyway. It is one of those movies that will appeal primarily to two groups: the lost souls it portrays, and the out-of-touch who hear the techno score, find a lack of meaning, and assume it must be "edgy."
What is good about "Go" is that it feels real. There is a certain amount of genuineness in it that saves it from being a complete waste of time. The director obviously identifies with his subject on some level, and that is the film's strongest aspect.
The acting in "Go" is good: Scott Wolfe is surprisingly (?) believable as a gay actor; Katie Holmes impresses as a seemingly-quiet-but-actually-angr y check-out girl; and Jay Mohr continues to show us why he is one of Hollywood's most employed utility guys. So, everyone seems real. The problem with all this reality is that it makes for a pretty boring movie.
There is just nothing interesting in the characters, the stupid things they do, or the "adventures" that result from the stupid things they do. There are some mildly amusing moments, but they are few and far between. Only one of the four stories has any charm (part 3), and by the time you get to it you are too busy hoping it is the last one to really enjoy it. Imagine your dismay when you find out there's more!
This could have been a more tolerable--even enjoyable--movie if it was at least a half hour shorter and if someone revamped the script. I'm not asking for a Hollywoodized look at the world of young angst--Lord knows we get enough of that--but at least have something to say. Or, if you don't have anything to say, at least write good dialogue to keep me conscious. Good acting can only do so much.
All I got out of watching "Go" was that lives like these characters' are empty and undesirable. I think this message could have been communicated in a film half as long and ten times as interesting as "Go."
And now for Abby's AMERICAN PIE review...
I (Abby Normal) almost gave up after my last endeavor, but I somehow mustered up the strength to sneak into a secret lab and watch some bits and pieces of upcoming projects. After digging awhile, I found an unmarked tape and began to watch. Within five minutes my faith in film was restored--I had found "American Pie." I will never doubt the worthiness of my career as a spy again.
This is a great movie. There are so few movies that don't force anything on you and don't make you feel like you're being sucked in by the marketing machine. "American Pie" is a simple, funny, genuine movie that is a lot of fun to watch. It is a movie about teenagers that doesn't pander or self-aggrandize; it is the much-needed antithesis of nausea-fests like "Varsity Blues," "Can't Hardly Wait," and "She's All That." And as much as I loved "Scream," it was soooo nice to be able to watch "American Pie" without having to constantly refer to my Williamson pop-culture-to-English dictionary.
Of all the good things in this movie, the casting has to be one of the best. Not only are they great, down-to-earth actors, but they actually look like real people. You get to escape the cover of Teen Beat and feel more connected to the characters all at once--I love it! Eugene Levy is hysterically deadpan as always, and Natasha Lyonn (sp?) is great as the amused overseer. The five main guys are perfect in their roles--each of them worth a thousand James van der Beeks--and the girls are just as good. I'm sure it won't be long before they become prominent names, so I won't feel bad about not knowing them right now.
The magic of "American Pie" is in its total lightheartedness. There is no effort to be politically correct or appease parents. This is an unrestrained, hilariously funny look at high school guys on a quest to lose their virginity. Some of the funniest moments are Farrelly-like outrageous, but most of the humor is just natural to the characters and their situations. There are maybe one or two moments where the director tries to do a little too much, but they are minor and are definitely forgivable in the charming context of the rest of the film.
"American Pie" is gross, but teenage boys are gross. They are also a lot of fun. Charming may not be the first word people will use in praising this movie, but I can't remember the last teen movie that left me smiling throughout watching it and makes me smile now when I think of it. Actually, I just can't remember the last movie like this that wasn't done by John Hughes. Long live his successor!
