Review of Synecdoche, New York (2008) by Donald L — 02 Mar 2010

Kaufman tries to depress, dissapoint, and discomfort us. In this matter, he is perfectly suited. I had a hard time rating this...its obvious the writer/director is skilled and he performs what he purposes. The actors are all very adept. The scene design is both ingenious, and well put up. Even the music, as drab and boring as it is was likely the perfect choice for the screneplay.

However, ultimately, rating a movie is not about skill...its about whether or not you liked a movie. I really didn't.

In the end the film just feels mopey. Less entertainment and more a physical act of being dragged through the most grandiose display of human misery I've ever seen on film. Its at times boring, and almost entirely pretentious the whole way through.

I dunno, perhaps Kaufman is just a smarter man than I could ever hope to be, his intellect taking him to dark places. Places that he tries (with great success) to explain to us through the medium. If so, Ignorance may truly be bliss. If this is the realm of "deep thought", I'll happily pass it by.