HURLYBURLY
reviewed by George Wu
Rating: *** (out of 4)
Hurlyburly is a very black comedy adapted by David Rabe from his own play. On the surface, it is about a misogynistic casting director (Sean Penn) trying to save his relationship with his girlfriend (real-life wife Robin Wright-Penn), but actually it is an existential treatise on communication, or more accurately, the lack thereof. Unfortunately, director Anthony Drazan is not particularly adept at transcending the stage origins of the material. He is not the most visually stimulating director and hasn't much perception on how to use cinematic space. Apparently though, he is quite good with actors. Sean Penn supplies one of the year's best performances in his courageous and revealing depiction of Eddie, a Hollywood casting director constantly snorting cocaine. Chazz Palmenteri is excellent as Eddie's best friend, Phil, an unemployed actor who gets his points across with threats and violence. Even better is Kevin Spacey playing Mickey, Eddie's deeply sarcastic roommate and business partner. I am convinced now that Spacey is easily one of the best actors working today. Penn has already long held that status. Robin Wright-Penn, Garry Shandling, and Anna Paquin are all fine even if their performances don't quite stand out. The only actor who does not pull her load is Meg Ryan, here as an intelligent prostitute (apparently wearing the most wondrous of wonderbras). Regardless of what's going on around her, whether she's just been pushed out of a moving car or is planning a day at Disneyland, Ryan essentially keeps the same tone in her voice.
Hurlyburly is really about how the characters cannot understand one another. All of them with the exception of Mickey constantly ramble on until they forget what they themselves are talking about. Half the time, they realize they don't even have the vocabulary to communicate their points and their tirades dwindle into gibberish like "blah blah blah!" Even when they say what they mean, the other characters are either in denial or thinking they're talking about something else. Eddie is pulled between spiritualist Phil and the utter realist Mickey. Phil looks for answers to his problems in fate and destiny or even Judaic mysticism. Mickey, on the other hand, always makes Phil the butt of his jokes. Eddie envies Mickey's ability to deal with reality unstintingly while looking to Phil and his metaphysics for some hope in his life.
Despite the film's aspirations, it never quite fulfills its potential. It often plods along aimlessly, and has a few too many contrivances such as when Anna Paquin's character reappears at the end for an attempted but unfulfilling catharsis. Still, if the film doesn't give answers to its existential angst, it at least asks the right questions.
12/17/98
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