Why didn't Lenny buy a PalmPilot?

Rating: 5/10 (24 March 2001)

Not to be cynical, but why didn't our hero just buy a laptop or a palmpilot? I mean, the last time I checked, tattoos cost a significant amount of $$ and, well, a PDA would have been much more convenient as well (heck, we know he had the money - why not get a nice digital camera instead of the Polaroid as well). I know I'm being totally trivial here, but a better movie wouldn't have me questioning this.
I was really waiting for this one - the killer reviews and film festival buzz had me running to the theaters on opening day. Firstly, let me say that I'm now a Guy Pierce fan - the guy simply rocks. Carrie Ann Moss also surprised me with her very strong performance, and I've always liked Joe Pantolione (sp?) since I saw him in Bound years ago. Aside from the great acting and occasional surprises (I loved the "am I chasing him? Oh wait, he's chasing me!" thing), this movie suffered from being a bit too full of itself. Don't get me wrong, the backwards narrative was an entertaining device- but without this device this movie would simply be your average thriller (a well shot one, but still average). SPOILERS I left the theater with a very, very empty feeling in my stomach. I almost felt sick. I love movies, and when a movie presents itself so compellingly as this one did, I literally give the film makers 2 hours of my life: I separate myself from the world and try to get caught up in the world of these characters. My problem is that the ending didn't justify my attention. When I go to a suspense thriller, I love to mentally jot down the clues and try to put the puzzle together - there was no puzzle here. Think about it, what in the movie points to the Sammy story being fabricated (other than a near-subliminal shot of Sammy turning into Lenny in the home for the mentally disabled- that's the sort of retarded trick that has people saying `holy cow, it was all there and I missed the frames before! It's ALL there..' Nope.. It's all a trick). NOTHING showed that. Yes, there were hints that Lenny was being manipulated and yes there were hints that there was a larger conspiracy - great stuff that had me on the edge of my seat till the ending. But what did we get?? Pseudo-psychological bull about him creating the Sammy story to give him a point of reference that's detached from his own self to hide his guilt and confusion while he goes on to seek revenge for a murder that didn't exist???? Come on people, we're smarter than that! STOP BELIEVING THAT THE INCONSISTENCIES CAN BE EXPLAINED AWAY BY THE `HUMAN CONDITION' AND HOW MEMORIES ARE SO ABSTRACT SO WE SHOULDN'T BE CRITICAL OF THE PLOT HOLES IN THIS MOVIE. That's cheating! At the point we could have been told that he was abducted by alien life-forms and fed false memories so that he would go out and do their evil deeds! It would have made just as much sense (well, ok that's a little far fetched, but you see my point - or I hope you do).
Lastly, think about Pulp Fiction (one of my fav. American movies of the past 10 years): take away the non-linear story line and what do you have? Great characters, an intriguing movie, incredible dialogue and a rich, memorable experience- the movie was enriched by the timeline but it did not MAKE the movie. Memento, on the other hand, would not exist were it not for the film-school experiment with a backwards narrative. It was a gimmick that made a hollow movie `work,' much like the big special-fx in ID4 that we art-house fools love to shake our fingers at. Best movie of the year? Maybe.. The year has sucked so far (come on: `Gladiator' or `Crouching Tiger Hidden Tiger' up for Oscars? Must be the year of sappy manipulation and hollow characters!). Go rent Bound if you want a nice and juicy noir (or rent the classics).
PLEASE email me if you agree! My film school buds are all teasing me for not liking such a "brilliant" movie.. Let me know that I'm not alone! :)