Queer Review: Velvet Goldmine (1998)

Velvet Goldmine
Director: Todd Haynes
Writers: James Lyons and Todd Haynes
Cast: Ewan McGregor, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Christian Bale, Toni Collette, Eddie Izzard, Micko Westmoreland

Overview
Velvet Goldmin is a triumph of style over substance and with a confusing plot to boot, thereby making the best part the glam rock soundtrack.

Synopsis
Brian Slade (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) was 70's glam rock biggest star, until a mock assassination ruins his career. Ten years later, reporter Arthur Stuart (Christian Bale) is given the task of finding out the motivation behind Slade's assassination stunt. Stuart starts by tracking down those who knew Slade and interviewing them, hoping to find out what happened to Slade after his career crashed and burned under stranger circumstances then the Roswell UFO. What follows is a psychadelic journey through several stages of Slade's career, as the plot jumps through time, place, and logical loop holes.

The Queering
Movies that focus on style over substance often have confusing plots and Velvet Goldmine is no exception. The movie jumps back and forth between time periods, making it nearly impossible to know what characters we are dealing with in a particular scene or understand how each one is related to each other. This situation is aggravated by the fact that most of the 70's characters look a lot alike. While Velvet Goldmine never sinks to the same depths as Querelle, a little more coherency would have been greatly appreciated. I am not sure if another viewing would have cleared matters up, but to blunt, I have no plans on doing that any time soon.

There are numerous references in Velvet Goldmine to other artists and works of art. Oscar Wilde is frequently quoted and McGegor's Curt Wild, a rocker whose original act included stripping naked in front of a live audience before setting the stage on fire, is clearly based upon grunge icon Kurt Cobain. Brian Slade is a David Bowie clone. In better works of art, these sort of references and allusions can make a good story great, and great story sublime, but in a mediocre one like Velvet Goldmine, they only serve to make Todd Hayne's film appear more like a pretentious rip-off then it actually is.

Speaking of Todd Haynes, I have to admit to being disappointed, as I expected a stronger effort from the director of Far From Heaven. Of course, the success of the later film can probably be chalked up to Hayne's greater experience, but I should probably avoid such judgements until I can see the rest of his films.

As for the technical elements, the cinematography of Velvet Goldmine manages to conjure up some memorable imagery. On the negative side, the soundtrack during the musical sequences is never lined up quite right, thereby making it obvious that the actors are lip syncing. This is unfortunate as the best part of Velvet Goldmine is the grooving soundtrack.

I found watching Velvet Goldmine to be a frustrating experience. The confusion caused by the surreal style and plot jumps undermines any potential the material might have had. In short, there is no goldmine, velvet or otherwise, to be found here, only bits of bronze nuggets from other, better works of art.

Recommendation
Not the worst movie in existence, but I would personally recommend buying the soundtrack instead.

The Rating

Trailer



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Queer Review: I Love You Phillip Morris (2009)

I Love You Phillip Morris
Directors: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa
Writer: John Requa, Glenn Ficarra. Based upon the novel by Steve McVicker.
Cast: Jim Carrey, Ewan McGregor, Antoni Corone, Rodrigo Santoro, Leslie Mann

Overview
For a comedy starring both Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor, I Love You Phillip Morris somehow managed to do a wonderful, although unfortunate, job of flying under the radar. However, this fast moving picture that sounds like it is about battling cigarette addiction, is really the story of a man who has no identity and yet still desperately seeking his true love.

Synopsis
Police Officer Steven Russell (Jim Carrey) is happily married and enjoying a "normal" life, when he makes the unfortunate decision to track down his birth mother. When she denies that he is even hers, he gets upset, quits the force, and moves away. Later, after an unfortunately timed car accident, Steven reveals to his wife (Leslie Mann) that he is gay and becomes a con artist to pay for what he terms "the expensive gay lifestyle". When Steven is caught, he winds up in prison where he meets Philip Morris (Ewan McGregor) and the two fall fast in love. Once they are reunited outside prison, Steven gets a job as a Chief Financial Officer (even though he lacks the credentials, education, and the necessary experience) and is soon engaged in yet another con job that lands him in jail yet again.

The Queering
First off, it is important to note that Steven Russell is a real person who managed to escape from prison multiple times in a narrative so preposterous, it seems that it could only be the province of fiction. But this movie is entirely true. Every single word of it. In fact, it might as well have been a documentary. And if you believe that, I have a bridge I want to sell you.

In any case, this fast paced, whip smart, and consistently entertaining comedy about two gay lovers makes for a fun con job of a film. What I find remarkable though, is that this story, which includes several scenes of gay sex, was able to land two major stars, Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor. It is hard to think of a more perfect role for the rubber faced impersonator Jim Carrey than a con man who takes on several identities. The only performance of Carrey's that compares would be the one he gave in The Truman Show. Ewan McGregor is good, even though he tends to fade into the background at times, though I would excuse this as his character is supposed to be a bit of a wallflower.

At the heart of I Love You Phillip Morris is a tender love story between two mismatched individuals. There are some raunchier elements to the comedy, but these are mere window dressing. Steven Russell claims - although many reasonable people might have reason to doubt him - that his attempts to escape prison were for the love of his life, Philip Morris. These attempts, which are shown later on in the film, include dying some scrubs using felt pens to make green scrubs so he could impersonate a doctor and faking his own death by AIDS.

Altogether, the character of Steven Morris is a fascinating enigma and I bet there will be many post-screening discussions as to whether he was a bad guy for the crimes that he committed or merely another flawed human. While one may wish to know more about him, and the article I love you Phillip Morris: a conman's story may shed some insight into the matter, he remains somewhat of a blank slate. While this ambiguity may bother some people, I would argue it is fact the film's greatest strength.

Recommendation
Highly recommended. Can be easily enjoyed by all audiences.

The Rating

Trailer


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