Rating of
1.5/4
A complete mess
patjohnson76 - wrote on 02/28/08
Julie Taymor must have had several ideas on what to do for her next movie. Should it be a musical? Should it be a love story? Should I use all Beatles songs? Should it reflect the turmoil of the 60s? I know, let's do it all!
It's this bizarre thinking that leads to an utter mess of a movie. Going through an artist's catalogue for a musical isn't new. Sometimes it works (Mamma Mia or Movin' Out), most times it doesn't (Ring of Fire, Good Vibrations, All Shook Up, Hot Feet, etc.). Here's an example where the times it works are few and far between. With 33 songs stuffed in here, most are clumsily placed and so obvious I was laughing. A scene of a guy saying how much he loves his friends? Let's sing "With a Little Help From My Friends!" A scene with a lovestruck teen? Let's sing "I Want to Hold Your Hand!" A scene where someone urges them to join the fight? Let's sing "Revolution!" It's this awkward and obvious placement of songs that raises the ridiculous level. Taymor needs to watch a true musical, like Hairspray or Sweeney Todd to see how to properly integrate music into story.
And then story...sigh. If you were taking a drink every time a movie cliche crossed the screen, you'd be drunk 30 minutes in. Of course we have the star crossed lovers, who predictably fall in love, get torn apart in the middle for no reason at all (seriously, it's like they suddenly decided they didn't like each other) only to eventually reunite. There's a score of supporting characters that serve no purpose at all, especially two musicians, who also are in love, break up for no reason, and get back together for no reason.
And lastly, in addition to most songs not fitting the scenes, we're treated to unexplainable and strange backgrounds that make no sense at all and are simply there for people to watch and say "wow, that's cool." Sometimes it's used to reflect the drug state of the time, but in some songs the singers are completely sober so it doesn't fit at all.
All in all, the movie runs about 30-45 minutes longer than it should, it has no focus because it can't decide what it wants to be, and I think it could have been better had more time been spent on it.
