Review of Leaves of Grass (2009) by Arkadiusz G — 02 Feb 2011

Leaves of Grass is a showcase for Edward Norton's many gifts (two-time Academy Award nominee). If you've never seen him before (Rounders, The Verdict, The Italian Job, Painted Veil, The Illusionist, The Score...) then this is a good movie to start with. He has his signature all over this project. It's good to know that there are people who aren't selling out to the whole "philosophy is dead" thing. The writing touches upon the 60's, happiness, passion, rules, academia, the Halacha, chance encounters, death, hydroponics, weed, and of course Walt Whitman (the Jimi Hendrix of text). You'd think that this would be another talking head movie but the story is greatly exagerrated for our benefit. I like how the movie breaks the stereotype of Americans in general and Oklahomans in particular. We're not all cowboys. I actually liked the country music "Them boys from Oklahoma roll their joints all wrong - They're too damn skinny and they're way too long...." Two thumbs up!

"I think it's more like parallel lines. You know, like two lines that go on-and-on forever and don't ever touch? Except they don't actually exist in nature. And man can't create no true parallel. It's just more of a concept. I learned that s--t in high school geometry. Well that concept - that perfection - we know it exists and we think about it but we could never get there ourselves. I think that right there is God." - Kincaid.