LARRY CLARK
Bil’s rating (out of 5): BB
USA, 1998. Chinese Bookie Pictures. Screenplay by Christopher Landon, Stephen Chin, based on the book by Eddie Little. Cinematography by Eric Alan Edwards. Produced by Stephen Chin, Larry Clark, James Woods. Music by Howard Paar, Robin Urdang. Production Design by Aaron Osborne. Costume Design by Kathryn Morrison. Film Editing by Luis Colina.
Self-indulgent mess from Larry Clark about two nihilistic teenagers (Vincent Kartheiser, Natasha Gregson Wagner) who team up with a pair of adult crooks (James Woods, Melanie Griffith) and form a nuclear family as they terrorize the placid regions of the dull midwest. Drug deals, bar brawls and domestic disputes run rampant, all getting tedious by the film’s midpoint and then rambling endlessly until the overdue finish. Griffith is brilliant in the lead, and Wagner (Natalie Wood’s daughter) shows much promise as a talented and beautiful actress, but their talents are better suited elsewhere.
Toronto International Film Festival: 1998