I Heart Huckabees Movie Review: By Adam Mast, ZBoneMan.com

I Heart Huckabees is like the crazy bastard stepchild of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. But while "Eternal" takes various views at that crazy thing called love, "Huckabees" takes a look at all the quirks and idiosyncracies that make up the human psyche. Only it does so from the point of view of ultra-intellectuals who are hell bent on reading far too much into every aspect of life instead of just living it. Which is pretty much the point of the movie I suppose.

In this crazed, bold comedy, we are introduced to environmental activist Albert Markovski (Played by Jason Schwartzman). Fed up with his life and not entirely sure what makes him who he is, he hires a team of (existential) detectives (played by Dustin Hoffman and Lily Tomlin) to follow him around and determine what the hell is wrong with him. As Hoffman and Tomlin engage in this case, we the audience are introduced to all the odd but endearing characters that float in and out of Albert’s strange life.

I Heart Huckabees is a true cinematic original. If there’s another movie like it, I’ve certainly never heard of it. And while I wasn’t quite as dazzled by it visually or emotionally as I was by the equally innovative Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, I admired it’s unique comic sensibility and loved the fact that it challenged me as a viewer.

The film was directed by David O. Russell who also made the quirky Flirting With Disaster and the multi-layered military morality tale Three Kings. I’d be lying if I said I understood everything Russell and his screenwriting partner Jeff Baena were trying to say with this piece, but I sure love the way they say it. This is hyper reality like you’ve never seen it, granted I’m sure any intellectual (I’m certainly not one) would tell you it’s just another day at the office.

Russell brings a unique visual style to the film and his use of special effects are a nice addition (rather than distraction) to the proceedings. There are several moments in I Heart Huckabees where you will feel as if you’re stuck in the heads of these characters.

The way these people talk doesn’t represent the way I might have a conversation with my friends on a Saturday night. These people talk in a rhythm that is reminiscent of a David Mamet or Wes Anderson movie, and I was enthralled by it even when I wasn’t always altogether sure what the hell these people were talking about. I Heart Huckabees delves into so many different philosophical discussions in so many different ways, that the film was quite daunting at times, but I wouldn’t want it any other way. In this respect it was similar to Richard Linkletter’s Waking Life.

This movie is frustrating and exhilarating at the same time. It offers up moments that make sense in a perfectly tangible and conventional fashion, but then it will offer up a revelation that’s just a little bit off. Through it all though, I always found the experience compelling.

The cast is extraordinary and each actor brings their own quirky style to the role while at the same time, maintaining a sense of normalcy. Jason Scwartzman (who possesses a Tom Cruise kind of a smile) is terrifically entertaining as the somewhat neurotic Albert. Watching him here was sort of like seeing Rushmore’s Max Fischer all grown up and taking on the real world. Hoffman and Tomlin make a terrific duo as a couple of detectives who think they have all the right answers. Jude Law, in what looks to be a preview of his upcoming turn in Alfie, is the adorable business man who gets nearly anything he wants simply by batting an eye and looking so good. Naomi Watts is sexy and up to the comedic challenge as an ornament who wants to be loved for who she is on the inside. And finally, we have a hilarious Mark Wahlberg who steals nearly every scene he’s in as Tommy Corn, a quick-witted fireman who has an opinion on nearly everything and demands to be heard.

Watching Albert and Tommy try to figure out all the little secrets to life (at the hands of conflicting guidance) and seeing how they choose to forget their problems was a hoot, and the end of I Heart Huckabees is perfectly sublime.

All these characters’ lives intertwine in interesting and unexpected ways and I was kind of surprised by how some of the conflicts in this movie were resolved.

I have no doubt that I Heart Huckabees will be a lot for some people to swallow. It might be too talkie for the casual film goer and a little too pretentious for the movie snob. I’ve heard the film called everything from glorious to banal, but I say it’s satisfying for those who have patience and are looking for a diversion from the standard fare Hollywood has to offer. If anything, I want to see this odd gem of a film again, to see what I might have missed the first time around, and in the end, isn’t that what all great movies are supposed to do?

Grade: A-

Adam Mast, ZBoneMan.com