A film with a good soundtrack. End.

Rating: 3/10 (16 February 2008)

I heard the hype. When there's hype, there is usually a problem. Usually. After seeing the film, i have to admit that the music exited with me, humming happily in my head, as i went out of the theater doors. I'm all for well done soundtracks, and, thanks to Wes Anderson, everyone these days is getting on board the "Be Hip and Use Obscure Bands" train. Fine. Whatever. The film itself, however, wanted very much to be a good film, and fell very short of actually being a good film. The writing was contrived, trite, disappointing. Ellen Page was unbelievably annoying for the first half, and managed to raise her character's ability to endear the spectator to "barely dealable" by the second half. What is really frustrating, is that once again, i have to be the apparent "arbitrarian" who didn't like the film. "Garden State" all over again. And, this thing is being nominated all over town! Here is the difference between being real, and wanting to be real. "No Country For Old Men," for example, did not WANT to be a great film, it simply WAS a great film. The Brothers Coen do not WANT to be great directors, they simply ARE great directors. Everyone wants to be so hip and cool these days, that they'll watch Johnny Awesome chuck a turd on the lawn and tell the neighborhood it's "rad." The next day, sure as the sun has risen...that turd is awesome! Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Hollywood is searching high and low, intruding upon, and sending in undercover cool people to wrench away, from the underbelly cultures, anything of worth...Independent=mainstream. We say it here...it comes out there....Anyway, the soundtrack, and Michael Cera and Jason Bateman, saved this floating turd from sinking all of the way to the far below...Nice work.