I Heart Huckabees on DVD (2004)

'Pretentious' is good when it's this funny

N Stafford from England , 27/04/2005

'I Heart the Huckabees' brilliantly describes the complexities and the moral haziness of the world in which we live. Movies with this subject matter are usually incredible morbid; the world is portrayed as a moral darkness, 'grey' decisions are made by fat business men, and the hero is some type of social outcast. David O Russell's production, just his The Three Kings before, is a new take on the subject. As with The 3 Kings, O Russell contrasts the dark subject matter against a refreshingly comical background. Rather than sulk about the state we are all in - this film waltzes like a dance through the battlefield - studying the lines that lie between us - and ensuring they are comically crossed. This turns a bleak message about the desperateness of human nature into one of our humanity - and all communicated in a way that doesn't at all bring you down. Laugh as the two factions of Existentialism battle it out - the falseness of a corporation smile crumbling into self pity - the fireman (Mark Wahlberg) who rides his bike to stop fires (to save on gas) - the environmental activist, as he struggles to define the real reasons behind his struggle against corporate America - listen to his laughable poetry, his inner doubts, and watch what flaky sense of reality leads him to the existentialists. I loved this film, and considered it the best film of the year. People say it was pretentious. So what? To say something is pretentious requires an air of pretension too. We are all pretentious in that we value our own opinions over others - a topic this movie covers in much detail.

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I hate Huckabees

Philip Concannon from London , 30/11/2004

David O Russell's self-styled 'Existential comedy' is his first film since the excellent 'Three Kings' and comes as a grave disappointment. Coming across like a nightmare collaboration between Charlie Kaufman and Woody Allen, the film lacks the emotional core of Kaufman's best work and the sly wit of Allen's, leaving nothing more than a series of dull, inconsequential sketches which add up to very little.

There's not much of a plot here but what little there is concerns enviromental activist Albert(Jason Scwartzman), who is troubled by a series of coincidences involving a tall African man. He seeks help from a pair of existential detectives(Dustin Hoffman and Lily Tomlin) to investigate these incidents and they start to intrude on every aspect of his life. Albert then gets involved in a dispute with Brad(Jude Law), a high-flying executive of the Huckabees chain store, and forms a friendship with troubled firefighter Tommy(Mark Wahlberg).

Russell fills the screen with endless visual tricks(almost all of which are poorly handled), everyone shouts a lot and the film jumps from one surreal skit to the next at a mile a minute. For a while during this picture, I wondered if I just wasn't getting it. But I soon realised that there's actually nothing to get. Russell spends the entire film spewing out numerous half-formed philosophical ideas with no real idea of where they're leading.

The cast make a fair stab at overcoming the material but only a couple of them are succesful. You know you're in trouble when Mark Wahlberg and Jude Law are the best two actors in your film, and that's the case here as only those two have the sense to play it straight(Wahlberg is also responsible for the few genuinely funny scenes). As for the rest, Schwartzman and Tomlin are unbearable while Naomi Watts and Hoffman are simply trying to hard. Isabelle Huppert, however, is completely wasted; if you're going to get one of the world's finest actresses in your film, do try and give her something interesting to do.

This is a deeply unlikeable, unfunny mess of a film; seldom has a picture talked so much, so loudly, and said so little. Russell is a director with potential but has completely neglected any sense of humanity in his desperate strive for 'wackiness' here.

'I Heart Huckabees' is a disjointed, pointless and hugely disappointing affair; totally lacking any real substance, humour or(ironically) heart.

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I Hate Huckabees

Raj from Croydon , 08/08/2005

I don't usually switch a film off before the end but I just couldn't watch this. After an hour I just wasn't sure what I was watching. I didn't find it funny and it just wasn't holding my interest or attention. Maybe I was missing something here but it just wasn't for me so I decided not to endure the remaining 40 minutes or so.

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Not for everyone.

Rob Pickles from Manchester [Highly rated reviewer] , 10/05/2005

The film distributers publised this film totaly in the wrong way. To make it clear, if you are like me and you question everything and anything in life then you will like this movie. If you aint interested in say why some bubbles in a pint of lager rise quicker than others, then you won't like this film. If you think that example is dumb, you will not like this film. This film was too surreal even for me, the meaning should of been set in a more believable context for me to love it. Instead i just liked the philosphy stuff. So if you like philosphy, then watch it but beaware that the film is a bit silly.

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Not for everyone, but just right for me!

Nikki from Nottingham, England , 07/06/2005

I first saw this film in the cinema and pre-ordered it on DVD as soon as I got home. I had not been so moved, amused and enthralled by a film in a long time. I'm not foolish enough to think that everyone would feel the same way - it is weird and in parts just ridiculous. But it made me think, and it made me laugh out loud so hard that it hurt. The soundtrack (Jon Brion) deserves a mention as an original work which definitely fits well. Schwartzman is brilliant as the confused and intense lead, and Mark Wahlberg can be my 'other' any time. It also has the best sex scene in a film ever - I'll never go on a muddy walk without smiling again. Quite simply, one of my favourite films of all time - but be warned, I do have strange taste!

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A stunning comedy for the more intellectual

Tom Pope from Brighton [Highly rated reviewer] , 13/04/2007

OK, so the 1st 10 mins you think 'what the hell is this all about?!?!?'

But bear with this film, cos it really is such a breath of fresh air and it left me with a warm feeling inside, as well as a variety of interesting thoughts and questions. I can see that it may be hard to follow in parts, my girlfriend didn't really get it. But with a bit of concentration you'll be fine.

A superb plot that made me laugh out loud, some incredibly memorable scenes (the sex scene is wonderful and the closing scene sums up the film nicely) and a fantastic group of actors, Mrak Whalberg perhaps stealing the show.

If you are into existentialism, or are interested in finding out about what it is, then this film is as good a place to start as any. Philosophical, hilarious, emotional and unique. One of my favourite films of all time - highly recommended.

And despite what I said in my title, the film isn't just for intellectuals (I'm not - my fave films are Star Wars, Lord of the Rings and Gladiator), but if you fancy yourself as a bit of one, then you're more LIKELY to enjoy this.

A good comparison film would be 'The Life Aquatic', its from the same ilk but still pretty different.

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