I have never walked out of a movie theater regretting my ticket purchase. Sure, I have seen bad films before, but at least they are entertaining and a little bit enjoyable. But now, for the first time in over a decade of going to the movie theater, I regret forking over the $11.50 for the picture, and the $10.00 for the popcorn and soda. Not that there was anything wrong with the concessions, just that they should have been consumed during a film of somewhat notable stature.
In fact, the movie I saw was so deplorable that I was contemplating not even writing a review of it. I was very embarrassed that I saw it, and did not want to tell people that I had; I went to the picture knowing it had received positive reviews, but could not be more disappointed. I wanted to erase this movie right out of my memory by throwing the ticket stub away, and finding someway to make up the money that I lost. But then I thought about it: if I do not say something about this movie (and notice I say "movie" and not "film"), people may go spend money on it. They may go out and see it. And that is a sin against humanity that I cannot allow to happen. So, here it goes.
I saw Spring Breakers.
The nightmarish quality and style of Harmony Korine's latest movie is completely unbearable to watch. There is so much room for social commentary, but it is bogged down by senseless imagery and heinous dialogue. Suffice it to say, Spring Breakers is not worth the price of any admission.
Amidst poor acting, terrible cinematography, and a repetitive storyline is a nonsensical look at the hellish ritual of Spring Break in Florida. Do not let the star's careers fool you; even though Selena Gomez and Vanessa Hudgens have roots in Disney, this is the farthest thing from a kid's film. The large amounts of nudity, profanity, and drug use makes more sense in a porn movie than in this picture. The movie is almost a punishment for the sex-crazed college crowd that makes up the movie's supposed "target audience", expecting to see a naughty comedy and end up witnessing an embarrassing art-house picture.
Four college girls, bored of life in their everyday town, commit crimes to try and gain the money they need for the trip of a lifetime- the college tradition of going down to Florida for Spring Break. Gomez's character, the only one of somewhat moral standards, weakly tries to stop her friends from going too far. Unfortunately for the audience, she fails, and we follow their journey to a booze-ridden party filled with drugged-up and naked college students. The blasting techno music is enough to give someone a headache.
The police break up the party, and the four girls are arrested for cocaine use and underage drinking. They are worried about telling their parents, but then they are suddenly bailed out by the gangster rapper known as "Alien" (James Franco, back to his typical scumbag performances). The girls are thrust into a whirlwind ride of highly illegal activities, bound by no rules and barely phased by what they are doing.
The movie is nightmarish and filled with flashbacks, changing camera filters, and repeated voiceovers. The click of the reloading gun is a featured sound, but it's meaning is overshadowed by the annoyance it causes in the viewer. Maybe director Harmony Korine was trying to say something about the terrible ritual of Spring Break, but nearly everything he tries is poorly done and painful. No matter how hard I tried to find some redeeming quality to the picture, there was simply no positive aspect of it.
Spring Breakers is crude, cruel to watch, and punishing for the senses. It's short runtime feels like an eternity, and it remains a poor attempt to deliver a cliche message. Every scene drags on to no real avail. Throughout the movie, we hear James Franco's character frequently utter "Spring Break...Spring Break forever...". All I can say is that if this Spring Break does go on forever, it will be my own private version of hell.
One half out of five stars.
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