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plot summary: Albert Markovski (Schwartzman) is a confused, poetry-writing environmentalist who hires a husband-wife existentialist detective team played by Dustin Hoffman and Lily Tomlin.
who should see this movie: Those who do not fear the word "quirky", philosophy majors.
who should NOT see this movie: Those who go to the movies to be entertained and not have to think, anyone who read the words "existentialist detective team" and thought, "Ew."
judging a book by its cover: The brightly colored squares of the movie poster evoke a playful, cutesy feel...and once you see the movie, you'll see they also cleverly play into the film. Plus, the poster design is very similar to one that was produced for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, another quirky, philosophical movie that you have to think about as you watch...
a note on the soundtrack (heh): The soundtrack was composed by the extraordinary Jon Brion, whose previous works include soundtracks for Eternal Sunshine..., and Punch Drunk Love. (Are you noting a theme yet?!)
costuming comments: Mark Bridges does an excellent job, dressing Tomlin in slightly seductive suits, putting Naomi Watts' character Dawn in dopey pigtails and tiny tops (her later transformation is incredibly amusing!), and I liked the touch of having fire-fighter Tommy Corn always in his uniform boots.
As I'm sure you've already guessed by now, I absolutely loved this movie! When you go in, you have to be ready for it though, because the dialogue is very fast-paced and they throw lots of philosophical ideas at you at once and you can get a little overwhelmed. Also, I was really pleased with Jason Schwartzman's performance! I totally forgot all about Max Fischer. In fact, there really isn't anyone in this ensemble piece who drops the ball...everyone (yes, even Marky Mark!) is really "on" and fabulous. There's one sex scene that's a little gross...but I just found myself laughing in shock more than anything. (janice.11.04)
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