Full Frontal
Wanna be confused? A good first step would be to sit down in a theater showing Full Frontal. Immediately you should start getting a little disconcerted when you hear people talking about random stuff, and see a listing of how each is invited or not to Rob's party. Each gets a dossier-type exposition introduction, and that's just kinda offputting. Then the movie, which got press for it's ugly visuals, opens with a very well-shot 35mm sequence. (insert the sound of confused look on my face)
Soderbergh is definitely a bit wacky. He goes from softcore indie films like Sex, Lies and Videotape, and progresses through hardcore indie films like Schizopolis (which he wrote, directed, shot, and starred in), then goes hollywood with Erin Brockovich, then goes wannabee softcore indie/hollywood with Traffic, and then does hardcore hollywood with Ocean's Eleven. Sprinkle in midrange character dramas (King of the Hill, The Underneath kinda), and some antihero films (Out of Sight, The Limey), and you've got his career in a nutshell. Mind you, it's a really big nutshell, but it's still a nutshell.
Now, don't get me wrong, these are just my general labels of his progression through his films. Truth be told, I've enjoyed every Soderbergh film I've seen. He's got a very definitive visual style that forces the viewer to regard his on-screen action. If you want an example, look at Out of Sight, and then Ocean's Eleven. He didn't do the cinematagraphy on both, but they both have a touch of something visually that is not of the norm.
Ok, so this is a lot of background for a film, right? Well this was my though process on trying to figure out Full Frontal. The movie both left me a bit dazed about what the hell was going on, but also wondering about what was going on behind the scenes.
Here's my take on things: Full Frontal is Soderbergh's wannabee indie film that is very self-important, but not in a way that makes it unenjoyable. I would say that soderbergh wanted to cleanse his cinematic pallette after the blockbuster hollywood flick Ocean's Eleven with a shot of insanity. Soderbergh is quoted as saying he was glad everyone had a good time on Ocean's Eleven, but he was very stressed during its production because he had so much to do. From that I'd guess he needed a break from the linear life of hollywood, so he gathered up his big-name friends, got drunk on something, and made this multileveled circus sideshow of a movie. Here he de-evolves all the techniques he's learned since Videotape, and monkeys around with a videocamera set on "ugly" until he gets enough out of the actors that he's pleased, and then edits it together in an attempt to both befuddle the audience, and make them understand what he's trying to say at the same time. Even though it doesn't live up to it's grandious intentions, it must be given a good bit of credit for what is attempted, and what it accomplishes.
Full Frontal is the story of a group of people linked by a common thread: a man named Rob. Each also has interlinking elements, but most of their true commonality comes from their semi-screwed up lives. I won't go through the linkages here, but it isn't as far a stretch as say, Magnolia was. And, that's about all about the characters I'm going to tell, because it'd take a few more paragraphs to go any deeper.
So, props should be given to the actors, definitely. Each makes their characters seem very tangible, even if the dialogue itself seems slightly niche-filling. Catherine Keener does a good job of being the proverbial "shrew", David Hyde Pearce does a good job playing the dominated, Blair Underwood does a pretty good job playing... well, whatever you would call his character. I won't go through everyone on the list, but each person gives what is asked of them, even if it is as little as David Duchovny's poop tent cameo. And that is a good word to use: cameo. Just look around and you'll see a couple extra big names that pop up every now and then.
So, is the movie worth seeing? Yes, and no. Most people will think it's crap. Don't go see it if you just like mrs Roberts or mr Underwood. See it with your movie buff friend who's in the mood for something different. If you're in the mood to go see something like XXX, don't settle for Full Frontal. If everything else is sold out, leave the theater, and go rent a Guy Ritchie movie. If you haven't been scared away by any of this, go and join the other three people sitting in the theater by all means. Just don't expect anything, and you might be surprised.
3 out of 4
sidenote for those who see it: was that really david fincher as the director? because it looked and sounded like soderbergh. |
