Review of Short Cuts (1993) by Justin M — 25 Feb 2008

Multinarrative film from Robert Altman. As with many of his films, Altman takes on the unwieldy task of juggling multiple narratives that work together as a cohesive whole. In this respect the film works; Altman is a master of this brand of filmmaking and he succeeds in making a commendably constructed and wholeheartedly watchable ensemble drama.

Of course, Altman is aided by a remarkable cast of the very best actors - Tim Robbins, Robert Downey Jr, Frances McDormand and Julianne Moore to name but a few - to realise the project. The problem I have with the film however is that due to the nature of a multinarrative feature each of the 10 adaptations of Raymond Carver's writings get short shrift.

Even at a fairly long 3 hours and 9 minutes we're talking about 19 minutes per story which is not really enough time to delve deeply into the potential of any of them. A simple comparison can be made between this film and Ray Lawrence's Jindabyne; both films use Carver's 'So Much Water so Close to Home' as a source, but by focusing on the single story instead of sprawling, Lawrence's superior film is able to explore the friction that occurs as a result of the fishing trip with much great depth and pathos.

All this adds up to Short Cuts being a bit of an overrated disappointment considering its stature, but it is a worthwhile film that certainly was a huge influence on PT Anderson's Magnolia.