The Beach Bum (Review)
The Beach Bum is a Crazy Ride!
Harmony Korine newest film, The Beach Bum, might not be as chaotic as some of his past movies but it’s still just as insane. It’s a crazy Odyssey following a drug-addicted genius’ journey through Key West and Miami as he attempts to write his opus. As far as a plot goes, its a bit hit or miss, but The Beach Bum is an insane character study the likes of which I’ve never seen. The Beach Bum is Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas in a tropical setting with just a dash of The Big Lebowski tossed in for good measure. That being said, it’s not quite as good as either of those movies, but it’s a pretty wild ride.
The Beach Bum rests soundly on the shoulders of Matthew McConaughey, who comes a long way in redeeming himself for the jaw-droppingly bad Serenity from earlier this year. In the film, he plays Moondog, a renowned poet who uses drugs, booze, and women to get his creative juices flowing. He’s a modern day wanderer in search of fun. As he puts it too he’s anti-paranoid and wholeheartedly that the world is conspiring for him, which it’s hard to argue. As the film progresses he staggers from adventure to adventure and for the most part, things tend to work out for him in the craziest ways. His journey brings him across colorful characters from a crazed Christian rocker (Zac Efron) to a bumbling dolphin tour boat captain (Martin Lawrence) to a legally blind Rastafarian seaplane pilot (Donovan St V. Williams). All this occurs while he’s attempting to finish his newest collection of poems. Life tends to work out for Moondog because he’s not afraid to go out there and seize it.
I’ve never been much of a fan of Harmony Korine’s previous films because I found him to be a director more interested in concepts and visuals than actual plots or fully developed characters. The Beach Bum though comes a long way in resolving this thanks partially to McConaughey performance in the film. He takes this larger than life character and even despite the absurdity of his actions or mind-bending life philosophy makes us believe everything he’s saying. Because of this, he is the very cornerstone of the film. He brings incredible energy to his performances that bleeds out around him and gives his co-stars something to latch onto. Even the likes of Snoop Dogg and Jimmy Buffet (who make extensive cameos) are able to establish charming rapport with Moondog. I don’t think that anyone will be winning any awards for their performances in this film, but they all manage to make the insanity around them seem perfectly normal, which is no small task.
There is a very loose plot that The Beach Bum follows, but it’s more an excuse to thread together the experience of Moondog while he attempts to finish his new book. However, it manages to be cohesive enough that it could be considered a “slice of life” film. That life though is absolutely insane. It’s a wonder that Moondog manages to survive his adventure given the circumstances he constantly finds himself in. However, that’s the point of The Beach Bum. Moondog isn’t afraid to surrender to the universe and just go with the flow. He doesn’t fight against anything in his life and because of that, he lives a serendipitous existence. In a way, he’s just floating in the ocean of existence and no matter how terrible things get he manages to keep his head above water and there’s something inspiring in that notion. There’s philosophy abound in The Beach Bum, but none of it is quite as profound as it wants you to think it is.
While The Beach Bum is a fun time at the theaters it’s not a substantial one. It embraces it’s core themes, but feels at times like it’s trying to be as crazy as possible. The saving point is that the actors involved in the film add a level of stability to the insanity. Still, it takes a lot of suspension of disbelief in order to join Moondog on his journey. The entire film plays like one long bender and there isn’t a moment of sobriety in which to see the “real” Moondog. But perhaps that’s the point. As “off” as Moondog is, there is no denying his brilliance at certain moments, such as when he beautifully plays the piano. However, his inebriated state might just be his “true self.” I’m not one to suggest using illicit substances to deal with life, but I have to admit that Moondog seems to have life pretty well figured out even despite the copious amounts of drugs in his system.
The Beach Bum probably won’t be a rousing
