Review of Buffalo '66 (1998) by Peat M — 30 Aug 2008

A simple story about a complicated character. Vincent Gallo's definitely a narcissistic asshole in life, and you can certainly see some of his own personality in the character of Billy Brown - hell, a good bit of his own life is grafted onto Billy, the entire story set in Buffalo, and shooting the scenes at Billy's parents' house at the house where Gallo himself grew up.

But while Billy is never a particularly likable character, per se, if you stay with the film, he becomes more sympathetic as it progresses, and you can't help but want him to turn things around by the end.

Christina Ricci turns an understated but sympathetic performance as Layla, who spends most of the film getting treated rather roughly by Billy. (And considering the falling out Ricci and Gallo had over the film, it seems he wasn't exactly kind to her in real life either.

) The two of them had good chemistry though, their characters complementing one another well, and Ricci possessing a definite magnetism in her look throughout the film. There were plenty of moments when you wanted Layla to stand up to Billy, though, and wondered what exactly made her fall in love with him.

You start to get a sense of that by the end, at least. The vignette-based approach to the story worked well, as organization and presentation go, each part of the film giving you more insight into Billy and the nature of his personal damage.

The story itself is both sad and darkly funny, filled with many interjected flashbacks - all done with an even older style of film than the main parts of the story were shot with. As a result of this artistic choice, the movie has a strong late '60s/early '70s visual feel, which works well with a number of the artsy interludes throughout, combining interesting images and good music.

(The soundtrack's also certainly praiseworthy, the music key to a number of the film's most memorable scenes.) Overall, a very quirky, interesting, and ultimately enjoyable art house film. Gallo may be notorious for being a real prick, but at least in Buffalo '66, he's contributed something meaningful and worthwhile to cinema and culture.