How does a guy like Edward Norton make a film like this and get virtually no notice for it? I mean, I've seen it reviewed on aintitcoolnews.com but I don't even recall Leaves of Grass getting much of a cinematic release in Australia or mentioned much anywhere else at all. If you watch this you will laugh, enjoy Norton interacting with himself as two very different brothers, laugh some more, and think about existential philosophy pertaining to intellectualism as a science. It's also about dealing a whole heap of weed.
Director Tim Blake Nelson is probably better known as a supporting actor specialising in either dopey or slightly offbeat characters. Here he turns in a quirky and thought-provoking indie flick that tackles some big concepts whilst jogging its way through a gangster-lite plot involving machiavellian drug wars in Oklahoma. It's a one of a kind film that might not appeal to everyone, but Norton's portrayal of twin brothers gives it a lot of bang and it's probably worth watching just for him. I also have a soft spot for Josh Pais (he's like the poor man's Ben Stiller), who plays a desperate orthodontist.
Norton plays Bill Kincaid, a philosophy lecturer, and Brady Kincaid, a marijuana dealer. Brady lures Bill back to their hometown in Oklahoma to break the silence on their estrangement, little does Bill know that it's a complicated plan on Brady's part to deal with some rival drug dealers. Nelson uses this situation to compare and contrast the application of the mind on academia and the pursuit of truth vs. the refusal to capitalise on intellectualism in favour of a stereotypically 'easy' or 'lazy' lifestyle. As the two protagonists are identical twins both equipped with brilliant minds, it allows for a fascinating examination of their differing paths. A big part of this is the theme of intellectualism in itself - where does it get someone? Why do we cultivate it? We try to understand what we fear so that we won't be afraid of it anymore (EG. Death, or thunderstorms) but in the end, it doesn't change the way things are. As one character says, "We're animals... brains trick us into thinking we aren't".
Something I also liked about the film was the way that it starts... it opens cold on the credits with the voice of Norton's professor-character lecturing enthusiastically, the rhythm of his speech remniscent of Quentin Tarantino's exuberance. I like it because it's a lot like a director's commentary. I'm not sure how intentional this is - but the way Norton speaks (echoing a real life director), the nature of what he is saying, and the way it comes in over the credits, is almost exactly like a commentary track on a DVD. I just thought that was neat, especially as a kind of meta-reference to intellectualism and humanity's increasing need to examine and talk about everything.
One last thing I wanted to mention was the recent trend for films and television shows to use marijuana as a fictional device for storytelling... in Leaves of Grass the production and distribution of marijuana is turned into this big dramatic thing with rival drug cartels and a Jewish pot tycoon (a fun cameo from Richard Dreyfuss). I'm not sure it's entirely realistic, but I guess the point is that Hollywood wants to be able to tell stories about drug-dealing whilst keeping the characters sympathetic to mainstream audiences, so a semi-accepted substance like marijuana is used as a stand-in for less acceptable drugs. I know I'm being cynical but it seems like a bit of a cop out... if you want to tell stories about drug-influenced power struggles and murder then you should be a bit more realistic about the drugs involved. If an audience won't get on board with your characters because of this then I guess that's just tough - learn to write better or tell a different story. People wouldn't accept these kind of liberties anywhere else, so why should drug dealing be any different? Maybe I'm thinking about it too much but I can see Hollywood going down this path where marijuana becomes this catch-all stand in drug so that we can have heroic drug dealers the audience will cheer for without feeling too bad about it.
If I had sum this film in one sentence I would say that it's like a Coen brothers film with less cinematic cinematography.
Something I also liked about the film was the way that it starts... it opens cold on the credits with the voice of Norton's professor-character lecturing enthusiastically, the rhythm of his speech remniscent of Quentin Tarantino's exuberance. I like it because it's a lot like a director's commentary. I'm not sure how intentional this is - but the way Norton speaks (echoing a real life director), the nature of what he is saying, and the way it comes in over the credits, is almost exactly like a commentary track on a DVD. I just thought that was neat, especially as a kind of meta-reference to intellectualism and humanity's increasing need to examine and talk about everything.
One last thing I wanted to mention was the recent trend for films and television shows to use marijuana as a fictional device for storytelling... in Leaves of Grass the production and distribution of marijuana is turned into this big dramatic thing with rival drug cartels and a Jewish pot tycoon (a fun cameo from Richard Dreyfuss). I'm not sure it's entirely realistic, but I guess the point is that Hollywood wants to be able to tell stories about drug-dealing whilst keeping the characters sympathetic to mainstream audiences, so a semi-accepted substance like marijuana is used as a stand-in for less acceptable drugs. I know I'm being cynical but it seems like a bit of a cop out... if you want to tell stories about drug-influenced power struggles and murder then you should be a bit more realistic about the drugs involved. If an audience won't get on board with your characters because of this then I guess that's just tough - learn to write better or tell a different story. People wouldn't accept these kind of liberties anywhere else, so why should drug dealing be any different? Maybe I'm thinking about it too much but I can see Hollywood going down this path where marijuana becomes this catch-all stand in drug so that we can have heroic drug dealers the audience will cheer for without feeling too bad about it.
If I had sum this film in one sentence I would say that it's like a Coen brothers film with less cinematic cinematography.
DIRECTOR: Tim Blake Nelson
WRITER/SOURCE: Tim Blake Nelson
KEY ACTORS: Edward Norton, Tim Blake Nelson, Keri Russell, Susan Sarandon, Richard Dreyfuss, Ty Burrell, Josh Pais
RELATED TEXTS:
- The title is a reference to a collection of poetry by Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass. One of the characters in the film (played by Keri Russell) is an earthy, homespun poet.
- Also see the brilliant television show Weeds, which deals with a clash between marijuana-dealing and suburban life.
- Other films about pot: Homegrown, Cash Crop and Half Baked.
- Other films where the lead actor plays twins: Nicolas Cage in Adaptation and Andy Garcia in Steal Big, Steal Little.
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar