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| Movies,
Jerry Carpenter,
20 January 1999 |
Rating: F5
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I didn’t have my hopes up for this one initially, most recent teens on nights out’ flicks have come across like extended beer commercials with touches of introspection added for depth. But just as Doug Lipman’s previous feature Swingers’ about neurotic twentysomethings rose above the self indulgence of generically similar efforts like Chasing Amy’ and Reality Bites’, so too does this. The film plays out as three tales all derived from an opening scene in a supermarket, each told in turn and each featuring characters criss-crossing paths to both dangerous and farcical ends.
One story revolves around a botched drugs deal, one about a hedonistic night out in Vegas (strange echoes of Swingers), and weirdest of all one about two soap stars blackmailed into pulling a drugs sting. But to reveal much more would spoil the scripts sharpest achievements. The audience’s pre-conceptions about situations and characters are challenged constantly, and the tone shifts between comedy and drama effortlessly. It’s also a refreshingly non-judgemental piece, which refuses to sketch characters in black and white – drug dealers, checkout girls, mafioso, cops, none of them are just good or evil, instead coming across a bunch of charming arseholes.
The generally unknown cast are uniformly excellent, although UK filmgoers are going to have to bear out the English Guy’ in the Las Vegas piece – all Bloody ell’s like some modern day Norman Wisdom. Credit’s due that eventually you get to like the guy, and more credit for getting usually winsome irritating Dawson’s Creek star Katie Holmes to come across as sexy. So overall an exciting amoral whizzy trip through the night that for once doesn’t rely on it’s pumping’ dance soundtrack, and as for this the comparisons to Pulp Fiction’, forget em this is way much more interesting.
UK rating:
18
US rating:
R
Doug Liman, US 1999
Desmond Askew, Sarah Polley, Taye Diggs
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