Review of Arizona Dream (1993) by Xgary X — 02 Jul 2011

Vincent Gallo, Faye Dunaway, Jerry Lewis, and Johnny Depp in a film that will twist around in ways that confuses the audience and goes places you wouldn't expect: heck yes I wanted to see it. It's comedic, it's heartfelt, it's sad, it's moving.

Johnny Depp plays Axel, a guy who is a daydreamer. His parents told him daydreaming is a waste, but he can't help it. We go through his life the way he sees it, then on top of that we get mixed in with some crazy women who just need to be left alone.

Lili Taylor was annoying at first (why does anyone cast her? it sounds like she tries too hard with her voice and the way she pronounces words), but as the film goes on you see that these annoying quirks she has about her acting style actually fits the role.

Everyone seems to want to fly in this movie. Faye Dunaway's character talks about wanting to fly. Axel makes a flying machine for her. Then things take off and fly sporadically in this film, such as the fish and the ambulance that carries Axel's dead uncle.

I saw the shortened version of the film, but I can't see how making it longer would have helped. These characters are brought together fully, which makes it such a hypnotizing film. Even though Axel and Grace engage in a game of Russian Roulette, it doesn't feel like it was forced in because the writer liked the idea.

So many films that want to be strange forget to actually add characters that would do these strange things. Plus, the actors playing the roles helped it to be more believable. I loved the Eskimo dream, then Axel and his uncle taking the role of the eskimos in the end.

It's all great. Shows us how we need to adapt to our own needs to survive, like how the fish brings his eyes to one side of his head when he camouflages himself to the ocean floor. This fish makes an appearance throughout the film, making us understand that Axel needs to let himself adapt to these new situations.

I also loved Paul's fear of the plane scene in North by Northwest, then it actually coming true when Faye Dunaway starts flying around him. Worth a watch for anyone who wants to see a genuine and crazy kind of film.