Rating of
3.5/4
Review: Spring Breakers
MikePA - wrote on 06/26/13
Spring Breakers is a strangely fascinating and unbelievably entertaining film, with a brilliant look at modern society and how much it sucks. Writer/director Harmony Korine crafts this beautiful spectacle as both a high-energy thriller and a compelling social commentary, nailing both of those elements almost perfectly and presenting it on a color-coded plate full of pretty visuals and great characters. Those watching this film expecting a raunchy, outrageous boob-fest will either be very disappointed that it fails to deliver on those levels or very pleased to see that it's much deeper, much darker, and much smarter than that. I had those expectations, and I was very pleased with the results - happy to say that I loved this film and that it's my favorite film I've seen so far this year.
In its own respectable way, Spring Breakers is kind of brilliant. The plot at hand is fairly simple, as it follows these four college girls (Gomez, Hudgens, Benson, and Korine) who are sick of school and everything they live off of and just want to go and have a blast at Spring Break. They're low on money, so they (besides Gomez) rob a local chicken restaurant so that they could have more than enough cash to attend the parties and enjoy themselves. They wind up in prison. They're faced with two choices - pay off the charges, or sit in prison for two days. However, they're immediately bailed out by Alien (James Franco), this drug dealer and gun seller, who wants something from them in return. Here is when the film gets dark, as the girls are faced with decisions that have both negative and positive impacts on them, and may or may not change who they are and how they live their lives.
I expected Franco to be great, but I was actually really surprised by the other four performers, two of whom come from the Disney channel (Gomez and Hudgens). Selena Gomez does a very good job playing the "good girl" who doesn't have quite as much outrageous fun as the other girls and certainly doesn't trust Alien. Vanessa Hudges, Ashley Benson, and Rachel Korine all do what's needed from them and do it rather well, being both vulnerable and hefty in their roles.
James Franco is great as Alien. Just wow. He makes Alien the most entertaining, fascinating, and oddly likable character I've seen all year. His performance is brave and darkly funny, with a lighthearted touch when appropriately needed. It's the most daring performance I've ever seen him give. I'd love to see him get nominated for an Oscar for this performance (thought I'm quite sure that's not going to happen).
Director Harmony Korine gives the film this amazing vibrancy and poetic style that feels so fresh and different. The cinematography is often beautiful but sometimes really grimy and expressive of that horrible atmosphere of drugs and alcohol to really convey the bad lifestyle some young college people chose to live. And I think that's what he's trying to say. He also incorporates underlying themes of the American Dream which are thoughtfully realized. It's these themes and ideas expressed within the movie's interior that makes the film truly effective and somewhat great.
Another big surprise was how emotionally connected I felt to these characters. The film's first half focuses much more on Selena Gomez's character and the choices she makes, which I found compelling and remarkably authentic. Then it takes a turn and focuses more on Alien, which I liked because as you start to learn more about Alien, you understand why Gomez's character never trusted him. You explore both the dark sides and the human sides of Alien, both of which I found really compelling. Another plus, Alien is just so damn funny.
Spring Breakers presents an amazing balance of social commentary, compelling characters, and great visual flare - all well executed. There's much to enjoy on the outside, from the parties to the bikinis, but there's a lot to appreciate on the inside - and that's where the film won me over. It's cool, it's unique, it's weird, and it's my favorite film of the year thus far.
3.5/4
