I Heart Huckabees Review

by Mark R. Leeper (markrleeper AT yahoo DOT com)
September 29th, 2004
I (HEART) HUCKABEES
    (a film review by Mark R. Leeper)

    CAPSULE: This weird comedic fantasy lampoons pop
    philosophy and everything else within reach but
    wastes the talents of Dustin Hoffman. Rating:
    low +2 (-4 to +4) or 7/10

I (HEART) HUCKABEES is a broad spectrum, anarchic farce taking scattergun aim at pop psychology, pop philosophy, consumerism, suburban blight, self-help programs, advertising, conservationists, Wal-Mart, and lot more. It takes special aim at the meaningless jargon and false analogies that so many use to explain the world to themselves. ("Have you transcended time and space?" "Uh, time yes. Not space.") David O. Russell co-wrote and directs. His last effort (THREE KINGS) was also weird but that was at the same time as sobering over all as this film is heady.

Albert Markovksi (played by Jason Schwartzman) is the founder of a conservationist coalition who is being forced out of his no-power position at the head by the shallow but attractive and very political Brad Stand (Jude Law). Albert wants the world to return to a clean, pure landscape, but he cannot think for two sentences without profanity. A business card in the pocket of borrowed jacket leads him to office two existential detectives who for a fee will spy on him and report to him how to align his life with their cosmic philosophy.

BEING JOHN MALKOVICH started anarchic and strange, but at a certain point stopped introducing new ideas and played with the rules it had already created. I (HEART) HUCKABEES never puts on the brakes. It is one surreal scene after another. While it seemed to be an audience pleaser, for me it never quite clicked into place, never quite worked. There were certainly some undeniably funny gags. In its unfocused way it milked some sacred cows and made cheeseburgers of others. I laughed at the portrayal of a self-help culture that reduces people to herds of sheep in search of a shepherd.

Top billing goes to Dustin Hoffman in a long 1960s hairstyle. He must have realized he was only tangential to this story and accordingly phoned in a performance well below his usual standard in better-written roles. For me this is a kind of irreverent, cynical, and bitter comedy I liked. Perhaps in a second viewing I will be able to better get in the mood.

Mark R. Leeper
[email protected]
Copyright 2004 Mark R. Leeper

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