Gus Van Sant: On the Road Again
Wednesday 12 February @ 15:18:24 |
 by Dwight Hobbes
That Gus Van Sant is a capable—sometimes even gifted—director is a given. That every film he made is worth watching is not. Hence, the hit-and-miss retrospective Gus Van Sant: On the Road Again.
Gus Van Sant
If nothing else, the selections, from top (“To Die For,” “Good Will Hunting,” “Drugstore Cowboy”) to bottom (“My Private Idaho,” “Psycho,” “Even Cowgirls Get the Blues,” “Gerry”) and in-between (“Finding Forrester”), uniformly have strong casts. The problem is Van Sant seems to think a viable premise, combined with interesting camera work can compensate for a slipshod—and, in some instances, virtually nonexistent—script. Points in case, “My Private Idaho” (2/21, 9 p.m.) and “Even Cowgirls Get the Blues” (2/22, 9 p.m.). The sole saving grace for each is a willingness to pay more than lip service to non-heterosexual circumstance. The voyeuristic “Idaho,” though, is long on gratuitous details from two hookers’ (River Phoenix, Keannu Reeves) street crawling and short on plot. “Cowgirls,” supposedly the free-wheeling sojourn of a young woman’s (Uma Thurman) footloose quest for relatedness and belonging, is, despite the lesbian ranch revolt, much ado about disjointed crap. Mala Noche (2/19, 8 p.m.) was unavailable for review. Regrettably, Van Sant’s new offering, “Gerry” (2/26, 8 p.m.), wasn’t.
Matt Damon and Casey Affleck in Gerry
What might have served as a half-hour short is stretched to an insufferable almost two hours of numbing tedium. It stars Matt Damon, Casey Affleck and the Death Valley desert in an implausible travelogue about two guys who wander out into no-man’s land and face death because they’re too stupid to retrace their steps. More dumbfounding than the film’s relentless boredom: it took three people—Damon, Affleck and Van Sant—to write it. The less said about Van Sant’s static remake of “Psycho” (2/14, 8 p.m.) the better: not even Vince Vaughn, Julianne Moore, William H. Macy and Anne Heche can animate it.
Vince Vaughn in Psycho
“Finding Forrester” (2/15, 8 p.m.) showcases Rob Brown as a basketball-playing-boy-genius-from the-ghetto-without-a-bad-bone-in-his-body. It’s the flattest depiction of over-achieving, noble blackness—complete with the honorable pursuit of white womanhood—since “Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner”: Van Sant’s belabored close-up of black hands nuzzling white hips, cramming the forbidden fruit motif down your throat, is sheer nausea. Thank God for Sean Connery’s crusty portrayal of the J. D. Salinger-ish recluse who befriends Brown.
“Good Will Hunting” (2/12, 8 p.m.) conversely is a humane take on a similar situation. Spared racial conceits, we get a touching, sensible tale of the courage it can take to transcend social class. Damon draws on cast-iron chops to play the complex Will, a blue-collar determinedly self-destructive young man with a stratospheric I.Q. who’s hell-bent on landing behind bars until fate sends a compassionate but no-nonsense therapist {Robin Williams) his way. The ensuing emotional fireworks culminate in a profound climax of the first order. You’ve also got Ben Affleck, fired-up on all burners as Will’s homeboy and Minnie Driver, skilled as ever, playing the college-educated love of Will’s life. This flick, along with its nine Academy Award nominations, is one of the few things Hollywood has ever done right.
Matt Dillon in Drugstore Cowboy
“Drugstore Cowboy” (7 p.m. with “Idaho”) is enough to make you wonder who Matt Dillon pissed off and why he lapsed into lasting obscurity while Richard Gere’s comeback is going stronger than ever. Dillon goes well past the sullen-pretty-boy persona to put teeth in his portrayal of Bob, a thieving junkie longer on balls than brains. When this two-bit miscreant arrives at a crossroad, you give a damn whether he turns his life around. Van Sant’s ironic casting of ace bad guy James Remar as the decent, hard-nosed cop hounding Bob is a fine touch. Further shoring up the film’s gritty authenticity are James LeGros, Kelly Lynch, Heather Graham and superb veteran character actor Grace Zabrieski.
With “To Die For” (7 p.m. with “Cowgirls”) Van Sant tells the story of a murderously narcissistic, would-be superstar newswoman so well, you have to check and make sure it isn’t based on fact. Nicole Kidman should’ve won something, playing a heartless conniver who could pull off the perfect crime—if she wasn’t dumb as a bag of rocks. Dillon, Jaoquin Phoenix and a slew of excellent supporting players, including the chameleon-like Dan Hedeya, complete a first-rate cast.
Gus Van Sant: On the Road Again, a Film Retrospective and Regis Dialogue is at Walker Art Center Auditorium, 725 Vineland Place, Mpls. Tickets: $7 ($5 Walker members). Feb. 28 dialogue with Van Sant and writer-critic-film producer Scott Macauly at 8 p.m. is $12 ($8 Walker members). Tickets for the Regis Dialogue are on sale to members only through February 13. If tickets remain, they will go on sale to nonmembers on February 14. Showing times and further Information: 612- 375-7622.
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