Review of Leaves of Grass (2009) by Chris W — 11 Mar 2012

Because of this film's mixture of wild, wacky characters, crime drama, stoner comedy, nutty plot, and philosophy, it would be understandable if you confused this with being a film made by the Coen Brothers. It's not, but its writer/director/co-star Tim Blake Nelson did work with the duo, so maybe that might account for the similarities. As a Coen clone (which I don't think it's trying to be, or should be labeled as), it's okay, but it fares better when looked at on it's own terms.

Bill Kincaid (Edward Norton) is a professor of classical philosophy at Brown University whose career is at a crossroads. When he gets a call informing him that his estranged twin brother Brady- a goofy, redneck genius pot grower and seller (also played by Norton) has been murdered by a crossbow in a drug deal gone awry, he journeys home to Little Dixie , Oklahoma (the place he was happy to leave) to attend the funeral.

When he gets there though, Bill discovers that he has been misinformed, and finds himself caught up in his brother's shenanigans which not only could put them both at risk, but could also finally help Bill discover what it truly means to be happy.

Based on the concept and casting alone, I was hooked. This is a really fun, and funny movie. Nelson really knows the material well (He's from Tulsa and studied classical philosophy at Brown), so the film is actually pretty accurate, even if slightly exaggerated. The film may not be totally original (again, it's very Coenesque at times), but it's well played, and never boring.

The plot does get kinda messy, and the tone is a little uneven at times (maybe the comedy should have been blacker), but all in all, this is a highly entertaining film that made me feel a little better about life and myself for having watched it. So yeah, there's some flaws, but what really saves the film is the awesome casting and terrific performances.

Norton is a real delight here. He's never been a bad actor, but this gives him the tough challnege of trying to pull off two very different characters who spend a lot of time engaging with one another. Thankfully, he pulls it off nicely. Nelson gives himself the fun, but familiar role of Brady's best friend Bolger, who, like Brady, is a good old boy who loves pot, is a proud redneck, but a lot sharper than he seems. Susan Srandon has some fun as Bill and Brady's eccentric mother Daisy, and Melanie Lynskey seems to be enjoying herself as Brady's pregnant girlfriend/soon to be wife. She's good, but it would have been nice to see more of her. As a potential love interest for Bill we have Keri Russell as Janet- a free spiritied poet who loves to go noodling and recite Walt Whitman while gutting catfish. The love subplot between Janet and Bill is kinda one of the weaker parts of the film (it could have been done better), but it's not bad enough to sink the film. In a really small, but wonderfulyl odd role is the great Richard Dreyfuss as Pug Rothbaum- a menacing antagonist who threatens Brady's criminal enterprises.

All in all, this is a weird, crazy mess, and it shouldn't really work, yet it somehow all does come together. It could be better, but for what it is, this is quite hilarious, a bit profound, and a real joy to watch. Give this one a look.