I Heart Huckabees is one of those “quirky” indies. It was directed by David O. Russell who more recently received acclaim for directing Silver Linings Playbook and the Fighter. This movie seems to be one of those that people hate or people love, including critics. Obviously, I love it.
The Set-Up
Jason Schwartzman plays Albert, an environmental activist who goes to a pair of existential detectives to solve a coincidence. The two existential detectives are Bernard (Dustin Hoffman) and Vivian (Lily Tomlin). They “investigate” him by spying on him at all times and teaching him their theory of how everyone in the universe is connected. Brad (Jude Law) is also introduced. Brad works for Huckabees, a giant Wal-Mart-like discount department store. He is on a committee with Albert to preserve a marsh that Huckabees wants to develop on. Since he works for Huckabees, he has ulterior motives. Brad is dating Dawn (Naomi Watts), who is the Spokesgirl for Huckabees. The detectives eventually pair up Albert with Tommy (Mark Wahlberg), a firefighter who is against fossil fuel usage. The movies follows along with these characters as the detectives investigate all of them.
Why It’s Great
It’s incredibly hard to make a “white people problems” movie where the audience actually cares about the characters and their plights. Because very few of us can relate to how hard it is to be rich. Nearly everyone can relate to this movie, I think because the characters aren’t after wealth or success, they just want to be happy in their lives.
Another thing that’s incredibly hard to do in a movie is to present a philosophy without it coming across as trite sayings or as non-narrative allegories. O. Russell presents the philosophy using all the tools of filmmaking. He uses special effects, dialogue, the characters, and the plot to get his point across. It’s not avant-garde and abstract like a Terrence Malick film and it’s not a bunch of catchphrases like a John Hughes movie.
There’s also the sense that movie isn’t taking itself, its characters, or its themes too seriously. It remains a comedy throughout.
I can’t recommend this movie to everyone because it’s still a quirky indie dramedy. But if you were annoyed that Garden State was too twee and solipsistic in its philosophy and that the Tree of Life was too bombastic and obtuse, this is a good alternative to both.
It also has some great comic performances and a few classic lines. So if it sounds interesting, definitely check it out.