Good but too many stereotypes

Rating: 8/10 (1 June 2008)

This movie has definitely got something that appeals, but the characters (even the city of Los Angeles) are too one-dimensional and seem provided only to live up to their stereotypes. The abusive father, suffering mother, understanding sister, violent railroad cop, aging hippies, naked druggies, wild Scandinavians, ugly cities, LA yuppies, lonely old man, and so on. Chris wanders through a landscape of stereotypes whose only purpose is to provide a foil for Chris to react to, typically with something intended to be profound. None of these characters convey any sense of depth except perhaps the one played by Catherine Keener. It may have been deliberate on Sean Penn's part to present these people in this way so that Chris, by comparison, seems deep, but for me it made the film much less than it could have been.