Review of American Honey (2016) by Thomas D — 09 Jul 2017
I had read good things about this movie, but was reluctant to even watch it - I balked at the nearly 3-hour running time and the presence of Shia LaBeouf. But it turned out to be time well spent. Yes, it is too long and could benefit from a generous trimming, but surprisingly, the time went by faster than I thought it would, and I was engaged for the entire length of the movie.
For those of you who are not familiar with this title, this is an independent film about an older teen/young woman who escapes her impoverished lifestyle by running away with a group of traveling magazine salespeople.
It's a road movie, a coming-of-age movie, and a romance all rolled into one, and it's effective as all three. The lead role is perfectly cast in newcomer Sasha Lane, she encompasses the perfect balance between pure sex appeal and youthful innocence.
This is a true breakout performance for her. And I gotta say it, LaBeouf is actually really good, the best I have ever seen him in anything by a mile. There is a palpable chemistry between the two that sells their relationship completely.
.. even if he is a horrible rat-tailed piece of shit. What I loved most about this movie is that there is a realism that completely permeates the entire film that you don't often see... it depicts real places, real problems, and real people, the way they really look (it's even a little too real at times).
The characters are not played by beautiful photo-shopped Hollywood actors, they are people you see every day... mostly in Wal-Mart. Most of them are not so easy on the eyes, and are so befitting their parts that you can practically smell them.
.. and yet, it's a breath of fresh air. The whole film feels like a snap shot of underprivileged youth culture, and really taps in to the zeitgeist (at least I think it does... but I'm past 40 and what the hell do I know about youth culture? I had never even heard of the song for which this movie was named).
Watching this movie, you feel what it's like to be young and truly free, if only for a little while.
This review of American Honey (2016) was written by Thomas D on 09 Jul 2017.
American Honey has generally received positive reviews.
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