Flat

Rating: 6/10 (6 October 2008)

This movie starts out promising with a piece of absurd comedy that actually works. Though you really can't do anything wrong when Steven Wright is in your scene, I had high hopes. I mean you have everything, a good setting, bizarre dialogues and the complimentary clever twist. However, the movie pretty much goes downhill from that scene on. Jim Jarmusch tried to make art people would speak of in every lounge bar from Europe to Eastern Europe but he just comes of as lazy. He had an insane amount of time to figure how he would bring it, and then he comes up with this. It doesn't even seem like he did any writing or anything, all he did was set up the camera and hope Iggy Pop and Tom Waits would say cool lines because they're Iggy Pop and Tom Waits. Most of the material carries that bothersome "almost funny"-label. Steve Buscemi's theory on Elvis and his twin brother is almost funny, but then again no. Teaming up a near-insane Bill Murray with guys from the Wu-Tang Clan, well that was funny. Both The White Stripes and Alfred Molina have a pretty good segment too but all in all I just felt bored with the whole thing. I like the idea, but some good writing wouldn't have hurt.