Splendor

Rating:
Summary: Araki descending
Review: To anyone thinking of buying or even renting this film: I cannot dissuade you enough. It is nearly impossible for me to believe that this movie was made by the same man who helmed The Doom Generation. It looks and feels like a bad Fox sitcom, and worst of all, its protagonist is the pinnacle of shallow conceit and selfishness. The dramatic question is ultimately, "Do I use ONE guy to avoid facing the consequences of my actions, or TWO?" Our heroine's only motivation is to find the most convenient and comfortable situation for herself, no matter who she hurts, and the only reason she is allowed to get away with it is that she's "cute". Had she been less classically attractive but more self assured... I would have said "No audience, or even character in the movie, would have allowed her to use their emotions in this way", but the fact is, no one with any self-assurance would have behaved as she does.

By the by, I hate to ruin the tension for anyone who will eventually see this, but I must note that this is another in a long line of films (The Object of My Affection is another that jumps to mind) wherein many of the painful situations and decisions that fall upon the protagonists could have been avoided with the responsible use of one of those little latex things they sell at drug stores - condoms, I think they're called.

This movie gives women a bad name; avoid it like the plague!

Rating:
Summary: Araki still working toward his masterpiece
Review: Writer/director Greg Araki switches from dark despair ["The Doom Generation", "Nowhere"] to romantic comedy in "Splendor", but many of his usual suspects remain, as he continues to etch portraits of contemporary young people in very modern situations. Like his other films, this one has moments of brilliance separated by sequences that are fairly long and static. Though he has yet to make a consistently interesting movie, he remains a smart and promising filmmaker.

The plot is intriguing. A young woman [Kathleen Robertson], who has shied away from relationships for several years, falls in love with two men on the same night. Unable to decide between the two, she takes them both as lovers - at first separately, later jointly. The guys [Jonathan Schaech and Matt Keeslar] are initially angry over her choice, but she manages to overcome their objections. The trio ends up living together, much to the horror of her Lesbian best friend [Kelly McDonald]. A series of unfortunate incidents cause her to question her unorthodox love life. A successful, thoughtful film director [Eric Mabius] quietly convinces her that his love and lifestyle would be more advantageous to her.

The cast is great. Robertson is one of the more beautiful and talented actresses working today. Keeslar and Schaech are quite funny as the two adoring, sexy lovers whose main problem is that they appear to be sharing a brain. Mabius and McDonald are believable and right on in their roles.

Once again, the main faults are in Araki's script. He seems like the type whose writing abilities do not quite match his brilliant imagination. For example, the dual lovers never convey the mental attributes Robertson ascribes to them early in the movie. Also, her character narrates too much. The story doesn't really need many of her observations. Araki also seems hesitant to explore fully some of the obvious sexual possibilities he himself sets up. The trio plays Truth or Dare in one scene, and the heroine dares to boys to kiss each other. They do so, not too unwillingly, but then this subject is never brought up again. My point is not that they must or must not be attracted to each other. It's that the subject should never have been brought up at all if it's not part of the plot.

I enjoyed "Splendor" and am convinced that one day Araki will pull out all the stops and drop all his inhibitions. What an amazing movie that will be.

Rating:
Summary: Cute, enjoyable romantic tale.
Review: `Splendor' is a wonderful film by indie director Gregg Araki, who with such films as Nowhere, The Doom Generation, and Totally f***ed up, has been dubbed "The God of Alternative Gay Teen Cinema." The film opens on Halloween night at a costume party, where out heroine, Veronica, an aspiring actress (is there any other kind?) meets her Prince Charming (literally), Abel, a freelance rock critic, after he accidentally runs into her. As their eyes meet, the two realize that they are destined for each other. As Veronica begins to walk away, due to protests from her lesbian best friend Mikey, Abel asks for her number and she gives it to him. Less than five minutes later, Veronica sees the gorgeous drummer of the band playing at the party, and they immediately have sex, without even an introduction.

It isn't long before Veronica is steadily dating the two men, with their permission of course. The two men know that they are sharing the same woman, but they have never met each other. When Veronica invites Abel to one of Zed's concerts, the two men run into each other and complications arise.

This film deals with a daring topic and I wish that more theaters had shown it during its theatrical run. Surprisingly, the film isn't very explicit, but I think that Araki wanted to focus more on the romantic, emotional side of a threeway relationship rather than the sexual aspects, which the film does quite well.

This movie was very enjoyable and somewhat different from the corny romantic comedies out there, although the end did manage to take that route. The script was fresh and funny, and the performances were great. I love Kathleen Robertson and its been good seeing her in such daring roles lately. Johnathon Schaech was terrific as always, and Matthew Kessler, who plays Zed, is one of the sexiest actors I have ever seen. This is one I can watch over and over and I am eagerly anticipating whatever will come next from this great director. Highly recommended for those who want to see a slightly different romantic comedy.