Spring Breakers DVD Review

Director: Harmony Korine

Starring: James Franco, Vanessa Hudgens, Selena Gomez, Ashley Bensen, Rachel Korine.

Certificate: 18

Running Time: 94 minutes

Extras: ‘Making Of’ feature, commentary with Harmony Korine, four featurettes: Behind the scenes, Harmony Korine, AVPs, The Girls & theatrical trailer.

If you did not know, director and writer of SPRING BREAKERS Harmony Korine first burst onto the scene by writing the screenplay for the ground-breaking Larry Clark movie KIDS, and since then has become a bit of a connoisseur in teenage fuck ups. This time around his film follows four American college girls as they try and escape their boring lives for America’s favourite past time – SPRING BREAK WOOOOO.

Surprisingly there is a great storyline in there; you just have to dig under all the Skrillex, neon and James Franco’s attempt at trying to be gangster. Everybody can relate to the idea of not living up to your full potential, or feeling like you’re in a dead part of the world, but instead of the usual clichés Korine takes it in a whole different direction, by showing these seemingly normal college kids and taking their want to a violent turn.

Despite its completely bizarre turn of events, and the work you have to do as the audience to get some sense of the plot, the performances make it completely enjoyable to watch, even rapper Gucci Mane as Big Arch has some memorable moments. The MVPs of the film go to Selena Gomez and James Franco. Their characters falling at two different ends of the spectrum, but the one scene they are together makes you see the talent in SPRING BREAKERS. When church going and aptly named Faith (Gomez) and Alien (Franco) talk after Faith’s concerns about why her and her friends are there, the spring break dream takes a turn for the worst and Faith goes home. While Gomez has a Disney past, there is no doubt that the girl can act. We also have to give Franco a standing ovation for his rendition of Britney Spears’ ‘Everytime’, playing it to the remaining balaclava clad girls carrying guns.

SPRING BREAKERS is not the greatest moment in cinematic history, and the use of the gun noise every time it cuts to a different scene will make you want to punch the screen in after a while, but it is not supposed to be taken seriously. It plays out like FUNNY GAMES, ultimately antagonising the audience with what should be a fun and bright coming of age tale, that turns into a foray of uneasy moments and depressing despair. But we still enjoy it, and somehow long to be these bikini clad college students messing their lives up.

EXTRAS: Word of advice, try and not blink when you are watching the featurettes because you just might miss every single one.

SPRING BREAKERS IS OUT ON DVD AND BLU RAY NOW