Sunday
Mar172013
MoviesSpring Breakers
Spring BreakersDirected by: Harmony Korine
Released on: March 15th (LIMITED) | March 22nd, 2013 (WIDE)
Grade: 5 out of 5 meatballs
Reviewed by: Neil Miller, Jr.
In a perfect world, Spring Breakers would sweep the award ceremonies clean. It packs a punch that few films in recent memory have been able to achieve: it’s gritty and raw, just as you’d expect from a Harmony Korine film, but also manages to be lighthearted since, after all, it is a film about four "regular"girls.
The movie was funny when it needed to be — mostly due to the memorable absurdity of James Franco’s white-boy thugged-out character — and two of the most unforgettable moments of the film were soundtracked by none other than Ms. Britney Spears (so it’s safe to say we have a gem of a film on our hands). In all sincerity, Spring Breakers will hit home with audiences of many different flavors and, because of that, could very well be one of Korine’s most accessible films to date.
Throughout his career, Harmony Korine has made films that polarized viewers so harshly, they became relegated to cult classic status even in spite of critical acclaim. Ask anybody if they’ve seen Gummo and nine times out of ten, you’ll probably meet blank stares. To this day, Kids remains his most popular work, and Larry Clark served as director while Korine wrote the script (if you’ve never seen Kids, stop reading this review and do so right now!). With Spring Breakers, Korine’s assembled his tour de force.
The movie follows four college girls who might as well be from rural Illinois that just want to get away from their mundane, everyday small town lives and do something big for spring break. Lacking the funds, the girls (sans the actively Christian semi-good girl Faith, portrayed by Selena Gomez) rob a restaurant and amass a fortune large enough to get them all down to Florida for their getaway. Once in Florida, the girls have a blast that only comes to a screeching halt when they get thrown in jail after being at a party that gets raided. It’s at this point that Alien (James Franco) swoops in and bails them out, thus setting the movie into high gear until the bitter end. Franco's presence grows the comedy element a few notches and sure, he may be everywhere... but he's in all the right places.
As much a star of the film as any of the actors was the surprisingly diverse Skrillex and Cliff Martinez score. Anyone who thought Mr. Moore was only capable of churning out a bunch of bass and beats should check themselves at the door. The score is at times as ominous as anything we’ve heard from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, bouncy to the point of inducing some moviegoers into a state of head-bobbing, and, with contribution from Cliff Martinez (who scored Drive), is just as engaging and vivid as what’s happening onscreen. After hearing the work Skrillex did for this movie, it’s safe to say that he’s no one-trick pony.
For most of Spring Breakers, it’s easy to forget that you’re watching a new Harmony Korine film, but the end is a friendly reminder that we have indeed been living in his exciting, fucked-up world for an hour and a half. The best advice anyone can take away from this review going to see the movie is this: expect the unexpected. That goes for the entire film. Just when you might start feeling comfortable, something jarring will knock you into a state of “WTF?” That’s all a part of Spring Breakers’ charm though: this isn’t your typical "college girls gone wild" movie, and by the grace of James Franco’s mouthful of grill, it will disturb you at least once. So, sit back, relax, smoke a bowl if that’s your flavor of life (it is for everyone in the movie, after all), and get swept up in what is sure to be one of the best films of 2013.
In a perfect world, Spring Breakers would sweep the award ceremonies clean. It packs a punch that few films in recent memory have been able to achieve: it’s gritty and raw, just as you’d expect from a Harmony Korine film, but also manages to be lighthearted since, after all, it is a film about four "regular"girls.
The movie was funny when it needed to be — mostly due to the memorable absurdity of James Franco’s white-boy thugged-out character — and two of the most unforgettable moments of the film were soundtracked by none other than Ms. Britney Spears (so it’s safe to say we have a gem of a film on our hands). In all sincerity, Spring Breakers will hit home with audiences of many different flavors and, because of that, could very well be one of Korine’s most accessible films to date.
Throughout his career, Harmony Korine has made films that polarized viewers so harshly, they became relegated to cult classic status even in spite of critical acclaim. Ask anybody if they’ve seen Gummo and nine times out of ten, you’ll probably meet blank stares. To this day, Kids remains his most popular work, and Larry Clark served as director while Korine wrote the script (if you’ve never seen Kids, stop reading this review and do so right now!). With Spring Breakers, Korine’s assembled his tour de force.
The movie follows four college girls who might as well be from rural Illinois that just want to get away from their mundane, everyday small town lives and do something big for spring break. Lacking the funds, the girls (sans the actively Christian semi-good girl Faith, portrayed by Selena Gomez) rob a restaurant and amass a fortune large enough to get them all down to Florida for their getaway. Once in Florida, the girls have a blast that only comes to a screeching halt when they get thrown in jail after being at a party that gets raided. It’s at this point that Alien (James Franco) swoops in and bails them out, thus setting the movie into high gear until the bitter end. Franco's presence grows the comedy element a few notches and sure, he may be everywhere... but he's in all the right places.
As much a star of the film as any of the actors was the surprisingly diverse Skrillex and Cliff Martinez score. Anyone who thought Mr. Moore was only capable of churning out a bunch of bass and beats should check themselves at the door. The score is at times as ominous as anything we’ve heard from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, bouncy to the point of inducing some moviegoers into a state of head-bobbing, and, with contribution from Cliff Martinez (who scored Drive), is just as engaging and vivid as what’s happening onscreen. After hearing the work Skrillex did for this movie, it’s safe to say that he’s no one-trick pony.
For most of Spring Breakers, it’s easy to forget that you’re watching a new Harmony Korine film, but the end is a friendly reminder that we have indeed been living in his exciting, fucked-up world for an hour and a half. The best advice anyone can take away from this review going to see the movie is this: expect the unexpected. That goes for the entire film. Just when you might start feeling comfortable, something jarring will knock you into a state of “WTF?” That’s all a part of Spring Breakers’ charm though: this isn’t your typical "college girls gone wild" movie, and by the grace of James Franco’s mouthful of grill, it will disturb you at least once. So, sit back, relax, smoke a bowl if that’s your flavor of life (it is for everyone in the movie, after all), and get swept up in what is sure to be one of the best films of 2013.
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