Review of Leaves of Grass (2009) by Gunter V — 27 Jun 2010
The critical consensus that this movie is not as good as it could have been rings true. Edward Norton is a fine actor, but I'm not sure about the dual-roles thing; as the drug-dealin' Okie, his accent is overheated and inconsistent, and as the classics professor his dialogue is mannered and inauthentic.
I knew something didn't smell right when, in the class lecture that opens the film, Bill, who is supposed to be one of David Foster Wallace's SNOOTs (Syntax Nudniks of Our Time), used the word "comprised" when he should have said "composed.
" Still, the film has its charms. In one scene, Norton as Brady is found nimbly picking an acoustic guitar and singing "Rex's Blues," by Townes Van Zandt--and doing it well. I broke into a grin and started enjoying myself.
I liked the film for the tone it was trying to achieve and couldn't, quite. I didn't buy the romance between Bill and Janet. I didn't buy her poetry. But I bought Whitman, as I always do, and I bought her catching and gutting a catfish.
I bought Brady's elegant definition of God.
This review of Leaves of Grass (2009) was written by Gunter V on 27 Jun 2010.
Leaves of Grass has generally received mixed reviews.
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