Jason Schwartzman and Mark Wahlberg provided great performances in what it is a self-titled existential comedy. What does that mean? No one quite knows, but I Heart Huckabees can be surmised as a refreshing off-the-wall tragic comedy offering faux-philosophical discussion and laughs a plenty.
Albert (Jason Schwartzman) is going through a tough time with his Open Space campaign group slipping out of his fingers, into the hands of the corporate scumbag Brad Stand (Jude Law with a tan that would make George Hamilton envious). At the same time, he’s found a coincidence in his life which is starting to concern him, and that is the presence of a tall, black African doorman. In order to find some answers, Albert contacts an existential investigation agency led by Bernard (Dustin Hoffman) and Vivian (Lily Tomlin). This ends up as more trouble than it’s worth, leading Albert down a path of self denial and conflict which makes him question when his problems really started and to find the source of both his issues, and these strange coincidences.
This film says Hollywood all over, but it doesn’t matter because it finally offers something new and provides a fresh challenge for viewers. Watching I Heart Huckabees is like being a regressive adult watching Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. The characters are just as abstract and wild, and the entire journey is seen through the eyes of individuals who are somply going back to a simpler time where they question everything, but hold on to nothing.
Bernard and Vivian’s tactics of stalking their clients is peculiar and often raises eyebrows as those clients try to find some way of understanding what is actually going on. Trouble arrives in the form of Caterine Vauban (Isabelle Huppert) who offers an opposite extreme of the methodoly offered by Bernard and Vivian, both of whom disapprove of her negative methods and find her a threat. It’s an enjoyable tug of war as the two main subjects, Albert and Tommy (Whalberg), try to find a happy medium for their existence and some meaning in their lives.
Applause also for Naomi Watts who doesn’t play a serious and broodish character for once, offering a dippy, innocent young trophy girlfriend appearence instead. Brad, the boyfriend, is brilliantly dispicable as the one trick pony corporate slimeball that will say anything to get to the top, even if it means sarificing his scruples, of which there doesn’t seem to be any.
The biggest downer in the film are the performances of the two veterans in the form of Lily Tomlin and Dustin Hoffman. Neither offers anything that really provides anything substantial to the overall experience, giving the opposite effect of being seemingly out of place with such a young and diverse bunch. Not to be ageist or discriminatory, but actors with a bit more character and zeal might have been better suited for the roles.
Most of the story is complete gibberish, it isn’t supposed to make sense, or it does on some level, but none of it will make you think in philosohpical circles, and the idea of the self is provided as a way to drive the character too and from the extremes of the treatment offered by the two sides. Ultimately, they are destined to find their own solutions, one of self revelation and contentment.
I Heart Huckabees is pretty good Hollywood attempt at something quirky and original. The characters are varied, spontaneous and unpredictable, just as the moderately contrived plot is. The film could come across as overly pretentious, losing the audience completely in its attempts to provide something a bit different away from the usual Hollywood formula.
Fortunately, I think, they have succeeded in not alientating the viewer. Towards the end of the film, you see it for what it really is. A comedy about life. Underlying that visual and narrative complexity is a very simply story that has characters that are both charming and endearing. You feel sympathy and warmth for Albert and Tommy as they go through their ordeal and rejoice at their new found resolution, which they find with an uncharacteristic childish charm.
Different and original, if not daring, I Heart Huckabees is a very welcome film in an industry saturated with sequels, prequels, remakes, updates and “me too” films.
Verdict: Endearing and importantly a fun film. I Heart Huckabees is a breath of fresh air