Chuck & Buck

Rating:
Summary: CREEPY IN THE VERY BEST WAY
Review: i was blown away by this movie. the guy who played buck was so dorky/creepy/loveable/hilarious/riveting that i was simultaneously feeling his pain and suffering skin-crawling squeamishness at the very sight of him.

plus, before the movie reached the shocker of the consummation in the motel room, there was something so distinctly unlikeable about the other guy, the so-called normal one. this was a smart move by the filmmakers. as an audience, we are made to feel that the hideous freak might actually be onto something when he asks whether chuck's job is really "real" and when he lumps chuck's fiancee in with chuck's possessions (e.g. car, house) while analyzing chuck's feelings about them.

there is something so pure and undeniable about poor buck's obsession -- about his utter defenselessness in the face of it -- that one can't help loving him. the shot of him at the wedding at the very end is simultaneously heart-breaking and improbably optimistic, i thought.

the casting of the guy who acted the role of chuck in 'the play within the play' was brilliant. so was the guy's performance. (it was an added, solondz-like bonus that we could literally see the shape of the man's penis thru his too-tight jeans during his audition in the community theater.)

equally spectacular was the scene in which buck offers a lollipop to a child actor and then stands by while the kid sets off a firecracker and nearly blows himself to bits.

i can't say enough good things about this movie. it was creepy in the very best way.

Rating:
Summary: Music
Review: Saw Chuck and Buck today, had to return it to my local Blockbuster Video. Very disturbing. I can't quite comment on the film, too fresh in my mind and far too 'out there'. And mind you, I watched Gummo and thought it was perfectly sane. I was just curious what was that song played throughout the movie? I had to return the movie so fast that I forgot to watch the music credits, and now I want that song. Alas. If you are reading this and could tell me, please email me at [e-mail] the name of the song so I can go out and get it. One more thing: Sexually disturbed innocence sets me askew.

Rating:
Summary: Mike White is brilliant,
Review: He is also partly responsible for the best television series ever, an underapprecicated masterpiece called "Freaks and Geeks". It is now on, of all places Fox Family Channel on Tuesday evenings. If you watch it you will be treated to some of the same brilliance as this film. Shots that don't pull away, even when something embarassing is happening to someone you begin to care about. Characters so real, with flaws yet you still see their humanity and even strengths. Hilarious scenes that come out of mundane daily things and never a pat ending, even if you do perceive it to be happy. This movie is a must if you are tired of the stuff we're force fed and the series "Freak and Geeks" will piss you off that NBC was so evil for not giving it a proper shot, or maybe people like being force fed? By the way special mention to F & G's cast and the shows creators, if Chuck and Buck is any indication of what to expect then some of us will have an alternative. Thank You.

Rating:
Summary: It's All About Chuck
Review: Many reviews of "Chuck & Buck" correctly focus on the development of the characters, mainly Buck (Mike White), and as far as it goes, White's performance is first-rate. Once the movie gets going, however, it's Chuck (Chris Weitz) who proves to be the more intriguing of the two. Surrounded by the all the trappings of "grown up" success, Chuck/Charlie is the apparent antithesis to the arrested adolescence of Buck, but in an unexpected turn, he succumbs to his own desire to recapture the past.

Ultimately, then, it's not Buck's story but Chuck's. While Buck initially comes across as pathetic and disturbing, there are plenty of subtle indicators that Chuck's "adult" life is equally so.

Rating:
Summary: Original Indie Effort
Review: In this original, often disturbing independent feature, Charlie is a coolly satisfied yuppie who's life is very abruptly invaded by Buck, an innocent, slightly creepy friend from Charlie's childhood. Indeed, Buck seems mentally arrested at age eleven - his bedroom is still littered with toys, lollipops are his favorite food group - and when he first reunites with Charlie, he makes a desperate and fumbling sexual advance, one that's quickly rebuffed. And yet, Buck won't take "no" for answer.

In many ways, "Chuck & Buck" is the ultimate nerd stalker movie, but the director, Miguel Arteta, and the screenwriter, Mike White, use their premise as a jumping-off point to examine all of our collective notions regarding childhood memories - and how they may be a good deal less golden then we'd like to admit. The performances are somewhat mixed, though screenwriter Mike White, who plays Buck, gives a genuinely convincing performance as a young man caught in what might be described as severe arrested development. There's also Lupe Ontiveros, who's blunt and funny turn as a no-nonsense theatre director gives "Chuck & Buck" a welcome dose of down-home humor. A troubling and slowly enveloping film, "Chuck & Buck" is also far superior to Miguel Arteta's previous directorial outing, "Star Maps," and a rather dumbfounding - and very happy - surprise from the co-writer of "American Pie."

Rating:
Summary: A SICK LITTLE GEM
Review: This ain't your regular stalker comedy. Or maybe, it's not a stalker comedy at all. Maybe it's a bizzare and slightly voyeuristic look into the life of a lonely, slightly obsessive man-boy, Buck (Mike White)and his best friend Chuck (Chris Weitz), who have sadly drifted apart. The death of Buck's mother brings Chuck and Buck back together, and not for the best. Buck is sadly stuck in the past, and can't accept that Chuck has moved on. He deals with his obsession by writing a slightly disturbing but heart warming play about two young boys growing up. With terrific performances, a great screenplay and a hauntingly pop-ish soundtrack, Chuck and Buck is the one to watch.

Rating:
Summary: Forrest Gump meets Fatal Attraction
Review: Certain members of the pseudo-intellectual crowd, the type who attend film festivals to be "challenged" by a film instead of merely "entertained," will flock like lemmings to see or rent this film.   I know this type well, because I am currently dating one, and he persuaded me to view this film with him.   What a waste of two hours of my time!

Before I receive hate mail for being "mainstream," let me make it plain that I have enjoyed many films which are off the beaten path: Maurice, My Beautiful Launderette, Beethoven's Nephew, or the recent (WONDERFUL) Big Eden, the list goes on and on.   Unfortunately, the main characters of this tiresome little opus have no redeeming qualities whatsoever, and neither does the script.  

Buck, the main character, is an emotionally retarded man in his late 20s, who has never moved past an early adolescent sexual experience with his best friend, Chuck, who HAS grown up and is preparing to get married.  After Buck's mother dies (the first scene in the movie, a charming way to start a film, don't you think?) Chuck attends the funeral, where Buck makes a pass at his old friend in the restroom.  When Chuck rejects Buck's advance, he remains undeterred, and moves to Los Angeles to, in effect stalk Chuck.

While Mike White tries to portray Buck as fragile and lovable, he merely comes across as creepy and irritating.  Frankly, I wound up having more sympathy for Chuck and his fiance, and kept wondering why they didn't go to the police for a restraining order.  That's what any real person would have done.  In another instance of unreality, Buck befriends a young boy who injures his hand with a firecracker. But would any responsible (or even semi-responsible) parent let a character like Buck get within a hundred feet of her son? The utter lack of verisimilitude in these characters' behavior makes it impossible for any semi-critical person to suspend his/her disbelief. The movie rambles through several subplots until Buck winds up blackmailing Chuck into one, final, sexual encounter. The saving grace of this scene is that the viewer knows that the film must be finally nearing an end.

There are those who call this type of film deep and relevant. Frankly, I can find more depth and relevance in an episode of Star Trek.  

Rating:
Summary: For the arthouse crowd, not for the mainstream crowd
Review: What do you get when you have a guy who wrote a script for an Adam Sandler movie? What do you get when you have the brothers who directed "American Pie"? What you have is a disturbing piece of art that makes stalking look like an innocent thing. Screenwriter Mike White, who wrote the Sandler movie (Note: The script was considered too "childish"!), wrote this truly bizarre film that doesn't feature CGI, big name stars, or perfect sound. What it does feature, is an insight into the world of someone who never grew up beyond ten and still dabbles in his childhood-like life by hanging up collages of pictures of he and his friends (Collages that you made when you were in kindergarten) and leaves his toys scattered about the room. White plays Buck, a child trapped in a man's body who's just lost his mother, and feels the need to reconnect to Chuck, engaged to a good woman and now an up and coming music executive on the fast track and living in Los Angeles. Buck wants to rekindle those old days he had as kids with Buck including some games of perversion, something Chuck is very intent on forgetting. Disturbing, relentless, and ultra-tragic, "Chuck & Buck" is a film that will screw with your head and will affect you in a way that many films don't. White's Buck is a true original that goes on par with other such movie characters as Peter Sellers in "Being There" by not showcasing Buck, but portraying him as an innocent who can't grow up. The performances are particularly good with Mike White showcasing his talents as an actor, his performance infers that he understood the script as he plays a truly disturbing character. Chris Weitz provides a great performance as Chuck, just a man who wants to live his life and work on his job. His brother Paul Weitz also has a supporting role as a rough edged, lousy actor that befriends Buck. If you're taste in films revolves around "The Rock" and "Jurassic Park", I guarantee you you're not going to like this movie, but if you're an arthouse film buff, you'll like it.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Movie
Review:
This movie is shocking, original and full of surprises. You really never know what is going to happen, and how many movies can you say that about? It really makes you think about childhood and dreams that people have. I think that reviewer below is missing the point when he focuses too much on the "stalking" aspect of this movie. Chuck is freaked out by Buck, and tries to get rid of him nicely, then coldly later. I highly recommend this movie.

Rating:
Summary: This Is The Movie That The Cable Guy Should Have Been.
Review: This is one of those movies that makes you laugh and squirm at the same time. Mike White's script and his impressive performance are the driving force behind the film. If you like smart dark comedy, I recommend this movie highly.