by Allan Day
Harmony Korine fans rejoice! He has a new film, and its name is 'Spring Breakers,' which can be found screening at a theater near you. The opportunity to see the newest work by the director of such strange and deranged works as 'Gummo' and 'Julien Donkey-Boy' on the big screen is certainly cause for celebration, but it may give some hardcore fans pause. These films are dark and dreary, perversely beautiful to those who Get It and unbearably disturbing for those who don't. The R rating may also be a deterrent, indicating a potential tameness compared to his earlier body of work.
We must not forget, though, the most mainstream of his films up to this point, 2007's 'Mister Lonely,' the touching and powerful film that no one saw coming after his first two directorial efforts and his writing work for Larry Clark films. Korine has not yet disappointed, so in spite of the rating and the movie posters featuring screaming girls on Spring Break (the type of person who shall henceforth be referred to as “WOO Girls,” due to their propensity to get drunk and yell “WOOOOOO!!” in a high-pitched voice), the Korine admirer feels confident in the director's ability to pull out something magical.
This reviewer immediately noted upon entering the theater the attendance of six apparent WOO Girls, and he pretentiously smirked to himself that they had no idea what they were in for, having likely been fooled by the movie poster. The film opens immediately upon a lengthy slow-motion montage of spring breakers on the beaches of Florida, and within thirty seconds the screen is filled with large breasts bouncing to the beat of Skrillex booming from the speakers. It is an exaggerated portrait of the young people who take the opportunity of Spring Break to participate in drinking, drugs, and other debaucheries.
We are introduced to our four heroines: Faith, Brit, Candy, and Cotty. (Note the director's use of stereotypes when naming his WOO Girls, the humor furthered by the fact that Faith is immediately introduced as the religious one of the bunch.) These four girls are stuck in their dreary college town, having not been able to raise enough money to go to Florida for Spring Break, while everyone else has already left. Desperate, they rob a diner (in a truly beautifully-shot sequence) and, pockets full, they make the pilgrimage to their Mecca: the magical Florida, where boobs are bouncing, asses are shaking, douchey guys proclaim their constant desire for pussy, and the booze, pot, and cocaine flow like milk and honey. Here, they declare, they find themselves; this is what life is all about.
The party seems to be over when the cops are called, but the girls are bailed out of jail by rapper/drug dealer Alien (James Franco, in his most bizarre role yet), who decided to help out because “Y'all look like nice people.” Alien shows them a whole new side of Spring Break, a world of unlimited money where the law doesn't matter in the pursuit of the American Dream – or, at least, Alien's interpretation of it.
Korine's ideas are solid. His film is a tongue-in-cheek look at stereotypical Spring Break culture, the WOO Girls, and the type of guys who love them; people who just want to party, who see no other purpose in life, and who perceive all other pursuits as worthless. Our four protagonists do not only need a break from the grind of school – in their eyes, the constant party and never-ending drug use and drunkenness is life's ideal. Korine illustrates the ridiculousness of this kind of thinking by showing how pathetic everybody really looks while voice-overs by the girls discuss how amazing and fulfilling it all is. Meanwhile, we see people passed out next to vomit-covered toilets, or wasted shirtless guys staring with a predatory hunger at the girls' crotches.
Their ideal is personified in Alien, who has seemingly unlimited money. His bed is carpeted in stacks of $100 bills and guns; further weapons adorn his walls. In a particularly telling scene, he repeats over and over again, “Look at my shit!” as he points out everything, saying over and over again how he is living the American Dream – and the girls love it; the idea of never having to work again, of basically selling themselves to this disgusting man with dirty cornrows and a nasty silver grill on his teeth, this is what they feel life is all about, as long as they have lots of money and lots of stuff.
As I said, the ideas presented are solid, as is the execution – but it fizzles out towards the end. As the action progresses and the ultimate conflict builds, it appears to be heading towards something of an uninspired conclusion. However, faith in Korine gives the viewer confidence that he will pull out something unique and dazzling. Unfortunately, this is not the case, as the climax goes down exactly as one might expect, resulting in an overall unsatisfying conclusion, and thus, a less than fulfilling viewing experience overall.
It is important when watching any film to try to watch it independent of any other factors, meaning the viewer should attempt to judge this film on its own merits rather than in comparison to the director's previous works. When viewed thus, it is an excellent film; heady and unsettling, hardly letting up so the viewer is left satisfyingly overwhelmed with sensory stimulation, although the conclusion still leaves much to be desired. However, in comparison to the rest of Korine's work, it is the lesser of the bunch – but still certainly worth watching.
(A final note on the afore-mentioned perceived WOO Girls present in the audience: eavesdropping on their post-viewing discussion, the following comments were overheard: “There was, like, no point to it”; “They should have just partied the whole time”; “The first half was good” [the first half being a 45-minute montage of drunken partying before they meet Alien, in which was the bulk of the sarcastic commentary damning Spring Break culture]. The pretentious side of me smiled to myself.)
