Lazy Film Critic Movie Reviews
CUFF 2018: An Evening with Beverly Luff Linn
Anyone remember 2016's The Greasy Strangler? Probably not, the movie didn't get a lot of buzz, probably due to the fact that it was weird, uncomfortable, kind of awkward, and just a generally speaking really gross movie. If you didn't remember it because it was such an unpleasant experience to on a sensory level that you've since blocked it from your memory it might just be because outside of the fact that it was weird it didn't really do anything that refreshing. It seemed like it should have, it seemed like it wanted to, but it didn't. Well, that director made another movie and it's... Well it's technically better I guess.
Look, before I get into this I want to make something clear - I am not against weird, unconventional, or subversive filmmaking. In fact, weird, unconventional and subversive best describes my top 3 favorites of 2018 thus far (Isle of Dogs is weird, A Quiet Place is unconventional, and Thoroughbreds is subversive) but it's not universal and these things need to have a purpose. Being weird can be good because it can make your movie unique and charming, but what's the purpose of it being weird and intentionally awkward? With Wes Anderson, "weird" is just a vehicle to tell a story that's set in a strange world but its sort of like an uncanny valley, the resemblances a Wes Anderson movie bare to reality in comparison to the weird qualities are what make it charming. Unconventionality is fun because it takes something familiar and replaces it with a version of that familiarity that is new and refreshing, the break of typical structural rules in an unconventional film has a purpose, it's serving a goal, its unique qualities don't come from how it's unconventional, but why it's unconventional. And subversion of stereotypes and tropes can be great fun, especially in satirical films and stories that parody other stories. But for this to work, it has to have a goal in mind, it has to have something it's subverting, something it's satirizing.
With An Evening with Beverly Luff Linn, none of these three parts of a unique movie seem to be fully understood. It's not weird with purpose or in a way that's ever interesting, it's just odd. Sometimes the goal is humor, and sometimes it isn't. It's just weirdness for the sake of being able to claim the title of "weird", it breaks convention without a purpose and does nothing with it, it seems to subvert and satirize tropes and stereotypes that don't even exist, it's like it's parodying a movie that was never made to begin with. Not to mention the elephant in the room - subversion, unconventionality, and weirdness are often traits that could characterize a comedy film, and despite An Evening with Beverly Luff Linn clearly wanting to be a comedy, the movie just isn't very funny.
With An Evening with Beverly Luff Linn, none of these three parts of a unique movie seem to be fully understood. It's not weird with purpose or in a way that's ever interesting, it's just odd. Sometimes the goal is humor, and sometimes it isn't. It's just weirdness for the sake of being able to claim the title of "weird", it breaks convention without a purpose and does nothing with it, it seems to subvert and satirize tropes and stereotypes that don't even exist, it's like it's parodying a movie that was never made to begin with. Not to mention the elephant in the room - subversion, unconventionality, and weirdness are often traits that could characterize a comedy film, and despite An Evening with Beverly Luff Linn clearly wanting to be a comedy, the movie just isn't very funny.
Final Rating
What's the best recommendation I can give for this movie? Well, if you liked The Greasy Strangler, you will like this. If you didn't like The Greasy Strangler, didn't see it, or haven't heard of it until today, this movie isn't for you, just like it wasn't for me. I'm gonna go easier on the rating than I usually would because A) I know this is an esoteric niche appeal and I'm not the type of person to go for movies like this, and B) I still have to respect the director for making this movie his own and not making a movie simply with the goal to appeal to other people - but that being said I still can't personally recommend it.
What's the best recommendation I can give for this movie? Well, if you liked The Greasy Strangler, you will like this. If you didn't like The Greasy Strangler, didn't see it, or haven't heard of it until today, this movie isn't for you, just like it wasn't for me. I'm gonna go easier on the rating than I usually would because A) I know this is an esoteric niche appeal and I'm not the type of person to go for movies like this, and B) I still have to respect the director for making this movie his own and not making a movie simply with the goal to appeal to other people - but that being said I still can't personally recommend it.
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