Thursday, October 20, 2005
Human Nature
DVD, Oct. 14 2005
Michel Gondry, 2001
Score: 7
Generally regarded as a failure. Uneven, often preposterous. It's Rousseauian premise (the screenplay appears to be loosely based on The Discourse on the Origins of Inequality is hit-you-over-the head obvious. It Doesn't compare at all well to the later Gondry/Kaufman collaboration, but man, does it make for some good absurdist comedy. Rhys Ifans playes the duplicity of civilization with scene-chewing perspective. A discriminating viewer would be more irritated with the plotty contrivances ("But first, go testify before congress about everything that's wrong with humanity.") but the screenplay so clearly doesn't care, and neither do I. Lesser Kaufman is still a whole lot of fun.
Michel Gondry, 2001
Score: 7
Generally regarded as a failure. Uneven, often preposterous. It's Rousseauian premise (the screenplay appears to be loosely based on The Discourse on the Origins of Inequality is hit-you-over-the head obvious. It Doesn't compare at all well to the later Gondry/Kaufman collaboration, but man, does it make for some good absurdist comedy. Rhys Ifans playes the duplicity of civilization with scene-chewing perspective. A discriminating viewer would be more irritated with the plotty contrivances ("But first, go testify before congress about everything that's wrong with humanity.") but the screenplay so clearly doesn't care, and neither do I. Lesser Kaufman is still a whole lot of fun.
# posted by David Watkins @ 6:53 PM 
