FEAR & LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS
Somehow manages to suck without actually being bad
Armageddon has nothing on this movie. Michael Bay could average sixty-five cuts a second and still not equal the complete sensory assault of Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas.
I wasn't sure what to expect - it had so much going against it. On the good side, there was (obviously) Terry Gilliam, a great-looking trailer, and Johnny Depp. On the bad side, there's Benicio Del Toro (who has never been in a good movie), and the general idea - think about it. Nothing in the world is more boring than listening to some loser go on about how drunk/wasted/high he once was, except if he's drunk/wasted/high at the time - then it's far, far worse. I'd rather have my scrotum snipped off, leaving my testicles hanging free to be snagged by a passing shopping cart. I sure as hell don't want to see a movie about it...unless somebody like Gilliam is attached. I don?t think I would have touched this movie with a ten-foot clown pole if Gilliam weren't involved.
And having seen it, almost everything I have to say about it is negative, but one thing is nevertheless clear: this is a movie which everybody involved put everything they had into. It's hard to argue with the artistic integrity of such a film - I've rarely seen the actors so immersed in their characters, or the director so determined to make the movie, well, what it is. Guess it's just a case of messed-up intentions. This is such a fantastically well-crafted movie that it's quite astounding to behold how lousy an experience watching it is.
The opening shot of Depp cruising that car down the highway was just terrible - Depp seriously looked like he was in a really bad Saturday Night Live skit. Thankfully, things picked up. And he did a great job with the, uh, role. Like I said, I've never seen him more immersed. But look what he's immersed in - a stoned idiot who doesn't even know where he is. Don't we see enough of that shit at the bar, or the last concert we went to? This is not exactly compelling, no matter how well-done it is.
Del Toro wasn't given much to do other than vomit and thrash about. And he does that a LOT. Really, this is the extent of his acting ability, so I guess the problem is more with the script than the casting.
Gilliam did a great job with the, uh, material...and managed to make the actual tripping moments more interesting than the rest of the film (which almost never happens). There were quite a number of laughs, and for once, the constant cameos added to the enjoyment all while being distracting at the same time.
But it goes on for SO long...there's only so much of this kind of thing I can stand. The overwhelming noise - aural and visual - was just plain annoying after a while. (that is, oh, about ten minutes) The wrong scenes went on forever (like the part with the bathtub), and many of the ones with potential weren't explored nearly enough (like Christina Ricci's appearance). And when it was over, I was really glad it was over. Gilliam or no, it's still not too far removed from being stuck with some loser at a party who keeps saying "Man, I'm so waaaasted..."
I'm glad I just paid $1.75 for this one. But at the same time, I get the feeling that Gilliam should be proud. Hmph.