Review of Spring Breakers (2013) by Bazooka J — 18 Dec 2013

Spring Breakers is an odd little film that I have mixed feelings on. On one hand, it's a beautifully shot and scored film, with a fantastic, stand-out performance by James Franco. On the other, it suffers from blandness for it's first half hour, and it's female leads are poorly developed and give forgettable performances. Harmony Korine's direction saved the film, as he pumps in energy and a candy colored palette to give a hypnotic vibe to the film.

But as you read that, what exactly differentiates this and a similar film from this year, Only God Forgives? Which, if you read my review, you'll know I despised. The difference is that Spring Breakers is actually entertaining. It's so excessive in it's depiction of the culture it satirizes that it manages to be fun to watch. I compare it to reality TV. You are watching the train wreck of these idiotic women do the most irresponsible and deviant behavior, ranging from doing drugs, robbing chicken shacks, burning their professor's car, and pissing on the sidewalk. There is something oddly satisfying seeing these once "wholesome" Disney actresses go bad. It's trashy, it's vulgar, and it's damn entertaining. It gets the exploitative aspects right, unlike this: "I wanna fuck a 14 year old". Yeah, nice try Refn. Try learning from Korine next time.

Like I said before, this film is a satire on the "spring break culture", which is the millions of 20-somethings who do incredibly stupid things while under the influence of (insert mix of any alcoholic drink with any drug) and the monotony of this life. Korine tried to make the proceedings, the constant partying, seem purposely repetitive. But does it make for entertaining viewing? Not always. There is one party scene that could have easily been removed, and nothing would have changed. It's near the beginning, and adds the the 30 minute slog in the film's early going. But once Franco graces the screen, the film instantly becomes better.

But another big issue I had with the film was it's poorly handled death of Alien, Franco's character. It felt so cheap, to kill off the best character in such a lazy way. The moment he dies, the film seems to die with him, and it ends on a whimper instead of a bang. It's a shame that such a ballsy film would end in such a way. It really leaves a bad taste in the mouth, and is reminiscent of the God awful ending of last year's Savages. It nearly ruined the film for me.

Overall, Spring Breakers is hard to recommend, as it would only be enjoyed by a select crowd, but it you enjoy seeing Disney starlets behave incredibly badly, then maybe you'll get a kick out of Spring Breakers. It's nothing great, and it's satirical aspect falls short, but it's effective enough.

Final Score: 6.5/10.