Anywhere, USA (2008) User Reviews

Nigh-unbearable

[lunacrick · 3/10 · 28 January 2008]

Sadly, this movie turned out to be pretty much unbearable, and I was forced to concede defeat when my mom and sister demanded to leave the theater, because it was just bad. The film tells a "three part" narrative of 3 seemingly unrelated groups of people, which I will relate as follows:

In Part One, a pea-brained, long haired redneck enlists the aid of his racist, obscenity-spouting friend (who happens to also be a tattooed midget with pierced nipples) to spy on his girlfriend, who has been "looking at cocks on the internet". They take the spying too far and accidentally shoot Ali, the girlfriend's online suitor, who they believe to be a terrorist. One major problem here is how looooong everything takes - while slow, "meaning-laced" words poignantly drift across the screen, to just.. allow us to ponder the gravity of this moment.

After over an hour of this, we finally get the news that Part Two is beginning. Yay.. an 8 year old orphan first accidentally eating pot brownies, becoming disillusioned and depressed over finding out the tooth fairy isn't real, and then discovering her uncle's tequila in the glove compartment and dives right in. I would comment on the rest of this and Part Three, but this is right about where we finally gave up and left.

This was probably one of the longest films at Sundance this year, and it was really not worth 2 hours of your life. It's just sad, depressing, squalid, and above all, drawn out to the point of boredom. Unfortunately cannot recommend this title.

Yat Another Bad Sundance Movie

[ginacole · 1/10 · 8 February 2008]

It's movies like Anywhere USA that lost Sundance's luster.

Anywhere USA is everything you've come to expect from those "indie" films that are plaguing festivals and local theatres.

First of all, it's not really a "film" per se. It's shot on video and looks like it. Maybe there are people out there who don't mind watching a home video for two hours, but I do.

Then, it's overlong but fraught with dialogue and situations stretching oh-so-hard to be edgy-cool. And yet all it really does is bore from the lack of reality of the situations and characters.

Studio films aren't very good these days, and there is no relief in sight from the smaller films (and this one was one of the very few movies at Sundance that wasn't a studio movie trying to pass itself off as an indie).

Here comes a new, smart storyteller. Thank God.

[dajasheville · 9/10 · 9 February 2008]

I've watched this project unfold from the beginning. The movie was shot in my hometown. I witnessed this small band of artists pool their resources and talent. It was inspirational. Now the movie has been completed and I got a chance to see it at Sundance. It was incredible. Chusy, the director, has a huge heart. His passion for life and his uncompromising honesty has created the most unique autobiographical film I have ever seen. His choice to use mostly untrained actors fascinates me. These individuals came from all walks of life. Subway manager, janitor, construction worker, etc. They were given the opportunity to explore humanity in a way most folks never do. I had a chance to talk to some of the cast at Sundance. This was not simply a movie to them, it was a journey. Dare I say, spiritual journey. They were given the chance to discuss topics ranging from terrorism to love. They were given the chance to experience perspectives that were not their own. To me this is beautiful, powerful, everything storytelling should be. The performances were fantastic. Several members of the cast have been contacted by the largest talent agencies in the business! I believe the world needs more movies like this. Opportunities for people to grow, expand, change. Thank you, Chusy and Jennifer, for your compassion and bravery. It has not gone unnoticed.

Sneering is easy, but you have to do it well

[daniel-turnbull · 2/10 · 26 October 2008]

I saw this film in the London Film Festival. I was really looking forward to an intelligent satire but unfortunately Anywhere, USA just did not deliver. The film is in three segments, the first a tale of rednecks and suspected terrorism, the second a faux-naive whimsical story about a hippy-burnout and a kid losing her faith in the tooth-fairy, and the third a tale of a WASPy old guy deciding he really must get out and meet some black folks. The middle segment is quite sweet and has some good ideas. The first and last parts are utterly charmless with barely a funny moment between them.

As you get to the end of the film, you begin to realise that the three segments are supposed to be parodies of common types of Hollywood films: the dumb action movie (e.g. Die Hard), the whimsical indie movie (e.g. Little Miss Sunshine) and the story of wealthy middle-aged guys going off the rails (e.g. American Beauty). The structure of the whole thing was also reminiscent of Magnolia type many-strands-coming-together films. To me, though, this aspect of the film was really unsatisfying - it is not enough to excuse something obvious and charmless by saying "We were actually parodying something obvious and charmless" (For the record, I don't think the films just mentioned are obvious and charmless, but I get the sense the makers of this film did.)

More than this, however, was the contempt that the film seemed to show for its audience. At one point, the film deliberately shows an implausible scene, allowing the audience to think "oh well that was implausible" and then comments on the deliberate implausibility of the film. It is a cheap trick, and it is neither big nor clever.

Effective satire relies on originality, sharp wit and being scrupulously fair (rather than trying to score cheap points). On this score, as on every other, this film fails to deliver. I can stand bad films, but not bad films that are so self-satisfied with so little justification. If this is what passes for a prizewinner at Sundance then that festival needs to take a long hard look at itself.

Interesting Movie....Enjoyed it

[andrew-huffaker · 8/10 · 24 January 2008]

I just saw a screening of Anywhere USA at Sundance. I was impressed. I thought I might be witnessing a train wreck since only one cast member is a professional actor. However, I couldn't have been more pleasantly surprised. The story is told in three parts. Each part loosely tied together with the previous one. The first part tells the story of a guy who believes that a jihad is about to take place in his town because he found a pistachio under his girlfriend's couch cushion. With the help of "little Rickey" his (3'4" friend), they take action because according to Rickey..."the pistachio is the official nut of the jihad".

The second part tells the story of Pearl who eats a bunch of pot brownies, runs away from her uncle, and tries to find Jonathan Lucas...who she believes is the Tooth Fairy. (This was my favorite segment) The third part shows one man's quest to find a black friend, because he realizes one day at dinner that he doesn't know any black people.

I've seen lots of films at Sundance over the years, but this one is one to remember. Well Done!!!

a true independent film

[bowen-wave · 9/10 · 4 February 2008]

Nothing against famous actors having an artistic pet project on the side, but this film was actually shot with a camera any of us could own and edited in a guy's garage. And as inspiring as this is, it wouldn't matter much if it weren't a good film, but it is. It shows a tremendous amount of heart and talent to work on a shoestring budget and not only get to Sundance but win an award. "Anywhere USA" is thought-provoking, politically incorrect, laugh-out-loud funny and there's an occasional shock or heartbreak, much like real life but with a better soundtrack. The little girl, Perla Haney-Jardine (previously Uma Thurman's daughter in "Kill Bill Vol 2" and most recently Diane Lane's in "Untraceable")is a charming natural actress, probably destined to be a star but don't hold that against her. Jeremiah Brennan who plays her uncle is an unknown, also a standout with emotions as translucent as his soulful blue eyes. These two move gracefully from comedy to tragedy and back again in a way big name stars could learn from. The 3 story lines come together with a subtle but satisfying ending. If you're bored with formulaic Hollywood movies, give this one a try.

Really funny, very well done and quite smart!

[exoexpansion · 8/10 · 15 September 2012]

Very good movie.

A really funny and harmless critique of America's way.

In my opinion it's a quite intelligent comedy because it has a lot of deep analyzing under the stupid jokes.

The second part is beautiful and so innocent..

The photography and the framing are excellent. As well as the settings that are very appropriate to exacerbate the kitsch that is America. I also have to mention the originality of the script and the way the body of the movie is divided.

And the music is so so good..

I liked a lot!

unique, poignant, funny

[shomethemovie · 10/10 · 4 February 2008]

I saw this movie twice at Sundance. The organizers praised it highly, the Jury awarded it Spirit of Independence Prize and the audiences loved it. Too bad the first reviewer wasn't interested or was offended by the subject matter and tone. The three stories are connected with the theme: well-intentioned fantasies gone bad in small-town America. Two rednecks feel compelled to save the world from jihad because of a suspicious pistachio nut (to fans of Dubya, this may be offensive.) A homeless hippie cares for his orphaned niece, trying to reassure her that at least the tooth fairy's real. A rich man worries how to remedy the fact he knows no black people. The situations are absurdly funny at times but the characters' emotions are heart-wrenching and genuine. The middle story is a particular gem with a wonderful (not depressing) ending. I'd call the whole thing gently outrageous, somewhere between Little Miss Sunshine and Pulp Fiction.

innovating, subjective and non-conventional!

[lidiao · 10/10 · 17 November 2008]

It is an work of art, mixing so many different components in one, in such a sublime way that the final result is this rich, innovating, beautiful and non-conventional movie. i'm certain it has intrigued people everywhere. it's astonishing and amazing. the director used the American ignorance, so present but never spoken of, in a critic way, but as well as in a spontaneous, subjective and comic way too, that really made the difference, turned the subject into a work of art. There are some intrinsic ideas that only people with a critical and astute look may understand, what discern the movie from the shallow-cheap-script ones (those we are tired of seeing and feel no commotion nor get intrigued). The cast helped very positively to create the several atmospheres that exists. The movie deserves the recognition for the singularity and extraordinariness.

A fresh breath

[ben_mkstk · 8/10 · 21 October 2010]

As someone who would rather have my teeth pulled out than watch a Will Ferrel or Seth Rogan comedy, "Anywhere, USA" was a refreshing find. It is an independent film, so going in I was expecting a certain level of over-the-top humor and drug references, which are there, but the characters are so real that it is believable. Coming from small town America myself, I could really appreciate the characters and the seemingly ridiculous scenarios. The first act, could be a movie in itself, in fact it makes the film. The second and third act fail to deliver as strongly, thus the rating of eight. The film is well shot and edited, the acting is spot-on for the most part.

To the reviewer who complained about this film being shot digitally... Bare in mind this is an independent film, so budget is a factor. If your eyes have not yet gotten used to seeing digital footage in films, then you're not watching many films. Furthermore, the media does not make the film, it is what the production is able to do with the media. Anyhow, I found the cinematography to be quite enjoyable.

All in all, a very good movie. This crew deserves many rewards and kudos for a "job well done". I laughed my ass off.