Hurlyburly (New Line Platinum Series) | Sean Penn, Kevin Spacey

Hurlyburly (New Line Platinum Series) | Sean Penn, Kevin Spacey | It's about the mythology, stupid!

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Hurlyburly (New Li...

	Hurlyburly (New Line Platinum Series) Sean Penn, Kevin Spacey New Line Home Video, 1999 average customer review:based on 80 reviews view larger image
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beautiful

What you must know going into this movie is that you will not be passive about it. You will either love this movie or you will hate it. Many people say it drags on, lacks plot, etc, but I completely disagree. It is a movie about modernism, post modernism, post post modernism, all those absurdities of modern artists, especially existentialism. This is a movie about the next lost generation, people living in a world with no comfort for those who find it goes by too fast for them to find anything to feel passionate about. These people are searching for something, anything, to crave, and we as the viewers simply are introduced to a splice of their thoughts, hopes, dreams, etc. Anna Paquin is amazing in one of her first starring roles since The Piano; her progress as an actress is nothing short of spectacular. Meg Ryan finally sheds her ever-present cuteness and dares to take a role completely unlike any of her others, and does it impeccably. The chemistry between Sean Penn and Robin Wright Penn is gripping as always, as they slip into new, absurdly off-center roles. Kevin Spacey is stunning. I love that this movie was created by many of the actors in it, I love the intelligence and creativity they gave it. This is one of my favorite movies, but it is clearly not for everyone.

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It's about the mythology, stupid!

Since most of the reviewers just don't get it, here it is in what I hope is plain english. The characters are the modern day myth makers, they make films, the stories that are suppose to help us make sense of our times. Hmm. The stories they make are shallow and pandering. They see no meaning in their lives. They take drugs in a desperate attempt to obliterate their angst, ambivalence, shame, confusion, fear (of women among others), paranoia, blah, blah, blah. After the suicide, Penn's character attempts to make sense of it with anagrams etc. A feeble attempt to find meaning in a meaningless note from a lost soul. He has no relevant myths to help him deal with the loss or anything else for that matter. As Penn's character says to Ryan's, "Do you think the ancients had these problems?" Hell no, they had valuable and relevant myths. Why? 'Cause they weren't trying to make money for a film studio! Is technology changing our culture so fast that we can't make up the mythology quickly enough to deal with it? We have the technology but do we have the mythology? Blah, blah, blah!

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the most intelligent movie in a while

Hurlyburly is by far the funniest, most intelligent, and well written movie that I have seen in a long while. Although it's a "dialogue" movie (previously a play), the dialogue never gets boring. Sean Penn and Kevin Spacey....phew...possibly their best performances. Many excellent one liners you've always meant to say, but were never articulate enough to spit out. So there you have it. Watch it. Love it.

A good film, although you have to really follow closely...

This film is not for everyone, unlike that annoying "blockbuster" of 1997-98, Titanic. This is a slice-of-life-film about the shallowness of Hollywood and the kind of people who get sucked into said shallowness. There are a few memorable scenes, such as the one where Artie is talking to Eddie through the table glass while snorting cocaine, and the one where Phil head-butts Donna in disgust over her lack of knowledge about football. Also one has to admire Meg Ryan for her willingness to tackle a new kind of role, though even as a down-and-dirty club dancer who snorts coke, she's still adorable. Overall, this is a movie for people who want to try and understand of the behind-the-scenes culture of Tinseltown. If that's possible, that is.

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