Love it or hate it

Rating: Null/10 (4 December 2002)

People seem to either love it or hate it-like Moulin Rouge, American Beauty, Blue Velvet-but there's no denying it's cult power. The film is a convoluted mix of pop culture, philosophy, science fiction, rebellion, and comic books. I'm not sure how I feel about it but I know Roger Kelly has talent and an effective technique that also shows some skill; by contrast compare with Roger Avary's sloppy The Rules of Attraction. He managed to coax fine performances from a cast you wouldn't normally take seriously (Noah Wylie, Patrick Swayze, Drew Barrymore, Katherine Ross) and get interest generated in Jake Gyllenhaal. He's a sexy nerd who could be Toby MacGuire's darker, more complex brother. Mary McDonnell acheives small miracles as Rose and Holmes Osborne does well with Eddie. There's really not a bad performance here.
While the film does confuse, I think the key can be heard in the DVD commentary: Mr. Kelly confesses the ending was clear in his mind but allows the viewer to come up with their own answer. It's a tricky thing to accomplish well and while The Fight Club throws its twist from left field-an idea Chuck Palahniuk thought of halfway through writing it-that film was just stylishly satiric pulp. Here, the warnings, messages, and wormholes build toward the inevitable yet it bogs itself down; it finales with the American Beauty montage and a haunting Gary Jules song.
Kudos for Drew Barrymore for seeing something here and being instrumental in getting it made. Another round of applause for Patrick Swayze taking a risk and playing a slick-but-shallow guru. And another for Richard Kelly being brave enough to follow through with his vision.
Though it's flawed, there's enough here to satisfy a movielover and make one curious in this new filmmaker.