S.F.W. is not a great movie. It's not a bad movie. It's the sort of movie which should make up the mainstream. The bland ineffectualities of the average movie are grinding away at our expectations and it may well be helpful to have movies such as this or the Matrix. They're entertaining with a slight side order of thought-provoking.
Like the Matrix, it doesn't ask too much of you, but lets you extend the ideas in your mind with a few pointers. The issue raised in this movie (the disintegration of reality in the media saturated post-modern world) should certainly be covered more in this medium. Though it doesn't use the trick of implication of the viewer (Natural Born Killers, Funny Games), there is a certain guilt created by its admittedly slightly heavy handed media satire.
Stephen Dorff and Reese Witherspoon generally choose their films well (with the notable exception of Space Truckers) and serve them well. This movie will look great on their C.V. though will taint Dorff particularly with the Gen-X tag. The self-destructive lifestyle of Dorff's character grates a little, as he is always groomed with the finest Sub Pop Grunge Brush. Look to films like Gummo for the reality of these grimy lifestyles.
The film is edited so as to lack any real time-scale and is conceptual in nature, with only character sketches and brief insight into the people involved. Hence, there is little empathy with the story from any angle but your own personal emotions on the subject it covers. More films in this genre should be this thoughtful.
Like the Matrix, it doesn't ask too much of you, but lets you extend the ideas in your mind with a few pointers. The issue raised in this movie (the disintegration of reality in the media saturated post-modern world) should certainly be covered more in this medium. Though it doesn't use the trick of implication of the viewer (Natural Born Killers, Funny Games), there is a certain guilt created by its admittedly slightly heavy handed media satire.
Stephen Dorff and Reese Witherspoon generally choose their films well (with the notable exception of Space Truckers) and serve them well. This movie will look great on their C.V. though will taint Dorff particularly with the Gen-X tag. The self-destructive lifestyle of Dorff's character grates a little, as he is always groomed with the finest Sub Pop Grunge Brush. Look to films like Gummo for the reality of these grimy lifestyles.
The film is edited so as to lack any real time-scale and is conceptual in nature, with only character sketches and brief insight into the people involved. Hence, there is little empathy with the story from any angle but your own personal emotions on the subject it covers. More films in this genre should be this thoughtful.