I Heart Huckabees
I have to admit it, I was a little doubtful of I Heart Huckabees at the start. Jason Schwartzman, a bushy Tom Cruise, comes out cussing, hiply virile in his existential frustration. He steps forth to read a cool, because ironically bad poem: “this rock . . . You ROCK rock.” He is an environmentalist, who rides around town on a bike that has a precious handle bar basket.
Over-stylized films can alienate the viewer, but like a good Wes Anderson film, David Russell quickly pulls you into its drama because it is full of humanity, connection, loss and those little victories that make life wonderful and enjoyable to partake in.
Co-written with Jeff Baena, Russell’s film follows Albert Markovski (Schwartzman) around town like the two existential detectives Albert hires to explain a series of coincidences that could possibly solve the riddle to his life. Albert has tripped into an “existential conundrum” and he is desperate for answers. He hires Vivian (Lily Tomlin) and Bernard (Dustin Hoffman) of Jaffe and Jaffe, a married team of detectives who follow their clients around endlessly, spying on their every little moment, no matter how private or mundane. In the business for over 17 years, they are pros at “dismantling” their clients, forcing them to face themselves and to forge new connections between their experiences. Vivian searches for the points where things fell apart, and Bernard teaches a blanket philosophy where everything is connected and warm, because everything appears wrapped in the blanket we were so reluctant to leave behind.
Bernard’s philosophy is effective and brings a peace to Albert he hasn’t experienced in a while, if ever. Yet, it proves ineffective in Albert’s struggle with Huckabees, a target like mega-corporation. He cannot keep them from building on green space, and he cannot stand Brad (played to perfection by Jude law), Huckabees’ cocksure and charming sales executive. The blanket philosophy tells Albert that he and Brad are one, but nothing in Albert’s experience is confirming this, no matter how hard he tries.
Enter Tommy Corn (again, another stellar performance, this one by [Marky Mark] Wahlberg), a client of Jaffe and Jaffe, who has been sent a book by the sleek and seductive French nihilist Caterine Vauban (Isabelle Huppert). A post 911 firefighter, Tommy cannot help seeing the truth in Caterine’s philosophy, which argues that the essence of life is “cruelty, manipulation, meaninglessness.” He sways Albert to his side and they team up in one of the best buddy-combos put on film. Both opposed to petrol, they continue their existential searches on bikes, Tommy always coming to Albert’s aid.
Fitting the eastern philosophy that informs the film, Tommy and Albert have to strike out on their own in one of those “student becomes master” scenarios. What we get is one overwhelmingly hilarious scene after another, as the whole community starts looking less like an atomized suburb and more like a dysfunctional family, whose members just won’t leave each other alone. As a result, the film achieves a strong sense of community rather than isolation.
Like the sense of meaninglessness that Albert experiences, so the sense of estrangement, life is four dimensions and time moves us back and forth, from happiness to sadness, connection to isolation, meaningfulness to meaninglessness, always back and forth. As the film comes to a close at the same rock at which it started, its conclusion is evident: if one expects the pain one can handle it with a little more grace and ease than if one does not. It might not be the best news, but at least it is valid. Besides, the affirmative part of the ending is that Albert is not alone.
Indeed, by the end, deep connections have been formed among the characters, which remind me of the saving power of agape love. Russell shows that once we can acknowledge pain in others we can begin to connect with them. While we might be alone in the cosmos, at least we are not alone on earth. Even though the ending is a little canned and overly didactic I did walk away from the film with restored optimism. Life didn’t seem too cruel or heavy a joke anymore, since it always feels better to be in on a joke than outside one.
The story, acting and dialogue are A level. The film’s use of cinematic technology is inventive, hilarious and at times beautiful. Jon Brion, as always, created a poignant and perfectly matched score which hits that playful and bittersweet middle ground the film was searching for and found.
The DVD has only two special features: two separate yet overlapping audio commentaries, which entertain and inform but grow monotonous. Nevertheless, we buy the DVD more for the film than its features, and this film won’t wear from constant play.
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