An exercise in cinematic vanity

Rating: Null/10 (6 January 2002)

Cameron Crowe is a master at telling his very witty films. They are a trademark to him. However, he has really outdone himself on this film.
The entire film confuses your mind to the point of being completely brainwashed, so watching the film just becomes a frustration and a headache (literally). It's like being on a bad acid trip the whole way through.
It comes across as a vein, confusing, grandiose hybrid of Sliding Doors and Citizen Kane. It's really difficult to categorise this alternative-subplot-done-for-effect/romance/conspiracy theory-type film. You are never really sure of the point of the whole story because the film is such a laboured pastiche of so many things.
Apart from being extremely frustrating to watch, it is far too long to sit through. Because of this and the fact that it has so many pointless subplots put in it for no real resounding reason, the film becomes purely an exercise in cinematic vanity.