Review of I ♥ Huckabees (2004) by Elysia — 25 Jun 2010

Gosh darn it I like this film. It's silly and funny and well performed. It pokes fun at pretentious wankers but makes them sometimes endearing too. It pokes fun at pretentious wankery but still provides sudden moments of sense and insight.

Most will be put off by the content from the get go - but in spite of the strange conceit of an existential detective investigation which steers the entire plot- I assert that the film is not aiming for any sort of intellectual or philosophical heights. It's not trying to show you how clever it is or reveal a decipherable deep truth, most will assume that it is and get off on the wrong foot.

It works best as a sort of comical character study about people whose goals conflict, which is the simplest kind of story there is really. One of the more interesting subthemes in my opinion is that of middle america's view of people from developing countries. the 'tall african man' of the coincidence Albert investigates is limited to being a symbol in the main characters analysis of his life. He is used by Albert and those helping him to understand his feelings towards his parents- Mr. Stephen Nimieri's orphanage, adoption and immigration are not subjective a biography in their own right but tools in the main characters philosophical journey.

I also find it interesting that the one woman that takes on the existential detectives has a journey that is all about how she is looked at and how she appears while the male characters journeys are more about their actions and interactions with each other. this isn't too much of a bother since the female detectives are delightful, flawed, strong characters; I just can't help but casually gender study everything.

As a story about middle class white people trying to do good, getting it a bit wrong and being utterly baffled by this; I heart huckabees is a neat little story. Not as clever, profound, original or strange as other films it clearly admires eg being john malkovich. but still nifty.