Review of A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III (2013) by Thomas O — 28 Jul 2013

A film so subtle and not so subtle and utterly utterly brilliant. Some movies are made to simply make money and some movies are an artistic statement about things that actually matter. Most of the movies I have seem recently are movies simply made to rake in a bit of dough and this why this movie is so brilliant. Its so brilliant because it has such a wacky idea that its doomed to fail. Has anybody else noticed this stars not one, not two but three actors that were in the boxoffice failure Scott Pilgrim vs the World.

This is a wonderful idea and although I did massively enjoy it and admire it on so many levels, I do have to admit that its not perfect. However this is one of its many charms. Even though its not perfect there is much to admire and much to enjoy. The set and costume designs (much like That 70s Show) give the presence of eye candy. The performances are top notch all around and the humour and writing are on a fun and endearing level.

One thing that makes this stand out for me is how much Charles Swan is unlikable and why casting Charlie Sheen is the right choice. Despite an unlikable presence we are strangely on his quest of being ok with being dumped because of the fun and warm hearted way he deals with it... ie we all go through this but we don't necessarily do it this way.

I said it wasn't perfect and my only real quip here is that there isn't much of some of the other characters here. They kind of come and go and turn up when it pleases Roman Coppola. When they do turn up its a blast and when they go you miss them. Despite this quip, this leads to my biggest plus....

LESS IS MORE.

This particilar film is about an hour and twenty minutes and does what it needs to and then leaves wanting more but (with me) being o'so satsfied with the images that came before the credits. Also note how they end the film... very unique.

This will film will fail and all the more reason for me to cherish this little gem of a movie which captured my heart and made me smile throughout.