The Anarchist Cookbook Review
by Steve Rhodes (Steve DOT Rhodes AT InternetReviews DOT com)March 3rd, 2003
THE ANARCHIST COOKBOOK
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 2003 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): ** 1/2
What happens when a deadly serious nihilist joins a commune of happy-go-lucky anarchists? The frequently funny results are chronicled in THE ANARCHIST COOKBOOK, by writer/director Jordan Susman. At our screening, Susman assured us that the rumors that the film was financed by a South American anarchist group were totally false. What I can assure you is that whatever your politics, you'll find the film funny. And, given how hot the Young Republican girls in it appear and act, the movie could serve as a Republican recruitment film for college men.
"Winners never cheat, and cheaters never win," Puck (Devon Gummersall, "My So-Called Life") tells us, as one of many examples of the sort of homilies those anarchists don't believe in. "We may not know what we're for, but we know what we're against," he tells us and then proceeds to list some of the things that they hate, including IPOs, SUVs, Starbucks and the NASDAQ. Karla (Gina Philips, the star of JEEPERS CREEPERS) is a card-carrying free love member of the commune. She sleeps with everyone but Puck. John Savage plays Johnny Red, the old man of the movement. He's a hippie who starts every sentence by lecturing the group on how things are done in Sweden.
When Johnny Black (Dylan Bruno), a nihilist who wants to take violent action, joins their group, their cozy little world is turned upside-down. The movie, however, stays comfortably in the light comedy area. As a dark comedy, it's more of a light shade of gray. After starting to run out of gas, the story regains its energy and takes some surprising and effective twists in the last act. I doubt if anarchists would like the picture, but most viewers probably will.
THE ANARCHIST COOKBOOK runs 1:41. It is not rated but would be an R for drug usage, sexual situations and some language and would be acceptable for older teenagers.
The film is being shown as part of San Jose's Cinequest Film Festival (www.Cinequest.org), which runs February 27 to March 9, 2003.
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