Review of Brief Interviews with Hideous Men (2009) by Nick O — 31 Dec 2009

I never read the book by David Foster Wallace, but judging from the movie it must be a very weird book. The type of book that maybe shouldn't have been adapted into a movie.

The movie's not a miss though, it's just...odd. Everything from the poster to the odd shots John Krasinski captures. It's a wonderful debut from Krasinski, though. His love for Foster Wallace is clear, and without that affection the movie would have been a total disaster.

The casting is very different, as is the use of the actors and actresses. I assume that Will Arnett and Will Forte's being in the movie served only as a favor for Krasinski, and a movie like Brief Interviews With Hideous Men seems like something Timothy Hutton would be involved in. Points for not having a formulaic cast, however they're not used to their full abilities.

Brief Interviews With Hideous Men is a well-cast film, however much of a mess of one it is. The monologues go on longer than they should, but again that's due only to Krasinski's obvious love for the book.

There's not much of a definitive plot, either. Everything is too scattered and hipster-centric for its own good. Still, Krasinski directs beautifully, and some of the risks he takes do pay off. He's what makes Brief Interviews With Hideous Men worth seeing, but sadly that's about all it's worth seeing for.