I ♥ Huckabees (2004)
The Cast
Jason Schwartzman .... Albert Markovski
Isabelle Huppert .... Caterine Vauban
Dustin Hoffman .... Bernard
Lily Tomlin .... Vivian
Jude Law .... Brad Stand
Mark Wahlberg .... Tommy Corn
Naomi Watts .... Dawn Campbell
This is kinda spooky. I sit down to watch this movie, this "existential comedy" as it was labelled by the critics & such, this movie that explores the relationships & connections & coincidences between everyone & everything & no one & nothing, & I get to IMDB & click on David O. Russell's bio, as he was the co-writer & director of the film. The weirdest thing! Today is August 20th, & August 20th is David O. Russell's birthday. Like, zoinks yo.
I've only seen one other Russell movie, the superb Three Kings, but I read about the premise behind this one, & I enjoy the main cast, so I thought "Hey, why not?" As basic as I can put it, a husband (Hoffman) & wife (Tomlin) play existential detectives, out to help everyday with their perception problems dealing with reality & such. A series of wacky & mind-expanding scenes take place throughout the movie, revolving around the actions of Albert (Schwartzman) & Jude Law & A Semester Abroad. No, wait, that's Brandnew. My bad.
Brad Stand (Law) is an executive at Huckabee's - the Everything Store - & is trying to placate Albert's Open Spaces environmental group when it comes to the building of new store complexes. Brad's girlfriend, Dawn (Watts), is the hot voice & public image of Huckabee's, while Tommy (Marky Mark) is introduced to Albert by the detectives in a further attempt to expand his mind. Caterine (Huppert) is a former student of the detectives, whose views have taken a radically different spin than how she was originally taught. This synopsis is probably more confusing to read than it is to write.
Watching this movie I was reminded of Waking Life, & what goals that movie had, in trying to expand your mind, open it to new ideas when it comes to dreaming & the effect it has on your everyday life. The difference between Waking Life & Huckabees is that Life wasn't that engaging, & it almost attacked you condescendingly, making you feel dumb for not understanding it. Huckabees, while still trying to exchange new ideas with your brain, offers many types of broad humour & gently pushes ideas towards you. Plus, it's not boring.
You can tell when a cast completely trusts the story & the direction of the movie, & there are plenty of clues throughout Huckabees that lends credence to that conclusion. None of the cast seems to have an ego about themselves, allowing you to seperate their character from their celebrity (which is important if you're wondering if Law tried to nail Watts). The movie is beautifully shot, capturing a perfect blend between satire & everyday life. All of the acting is top notch, even Marky Mark, whom I normally don't like all that much.
Huckabees is certainly not a comedy for everyone, as many people will probably find it slightly boring because they don't have an open mind about such things. It's kinda like The Matrix, 'cept without all the green, the computers, the kung fu wire fighting & wooden acting. It gives you a new idea & lets you digest it for yourself, in an entertaining fashion. I definitely enjoyed it, but the rewatchability of it leaves a little something to be desired, if you don't feel like exploring the whole existentialism thing right off the bat. Maybe with the commentary on, I dunno. 4 outta 5.