|
How entertaining? ★★★★☆
Thought provoking? ★★☆☆☆ 24 February 2013
This article is a review of PRINCE AVALANCHE.
|
“Here’s to the fire in our hearts.”
We are told immediately: In 1987, 43,000 woodland acres burned down in the state of Texas. 1600 homes were destroyed and four lives were lost. The cause remains unknown. We then jump to the summer of 1988, and join Alvin (Paul Rudd) and Lance (Emile Hirsch) at a dawn tent-site. The start is meditative: A campfire, we follow in slow-mo behind the duo, and a metal stake is hammered into the ground. As much as I thoroughly enjoy director David Gordon Green’s stoner comedies (PINEAPPLE EXPRESS, YOUR HIGHNESS), I’ve been waiting for him to return to GEORGE WASHINGTON and ALL THE REAL GIRLS to see what he can bring to his earlier, almost Terrence Malick-ish, sensibility. The commencement of PRINCE AVALANCHE swells my heart, as I question, could the former new hope fuse his humorous and sensitive sides? And largely he does, to entertaining effect, thanks in great part to Hirsch and Rudd putting in some of their best work.
We are told immediately: In 1987, 43,000 woodland acres burned down in the state of Texas. 1600 homes were destroyed and four lives were lost. The cause remains unknown. We then jump to the summer of 1988, and join Alvin (Paul Rudd) and Lance (Emile Hirsch) at a dawn tent-site. The start is meditative: A campfire, we follow in slow-mo behind the duo, and a metal stake is hammered into the ground. As much as I thoroughly enjoy director David Gordon Green’s stoner comedies (PINEAPPLE EXPRESS, YOUR HIGHNESS), I’ve been waiting for him to return to GEORGE WASHINGTON and ALL THE REAL GIRLS to see what he can bring to his earlier, almost Terrence Malick-ish, sensibility. The commencement of PRINCE AVALANCHE swells my heart, as I question, could the former new hope fuse his humorous and sensitive sides? And largely he does, to entertaining effect, thanks in great part to Hirsch and Rudd putting in some of their best work.
|
|
|
|
|
“Someone knocked on the door, probably would’ve gone full lamb chop,” Lance to Alvin.
Green dials it back from the loud crassness of THE SITTER. There are just five speaking parts, three of which are minimal. Alvin is trying to better himself, learning German, to give his girlfriend Madison (voiced by Lynn Shelton) a better life in Europe. Madison is the brother of Lance, now working for Arvin. They are employees of the state, as part of a road crew putting the finishing touches to repaired tarmac destroyed in the blaze. It’s a mundane role, painting lines and adding reflectors. In the hands of a Béla Tarr we might have had an arduous treatise on the futility of existence, but we’re in American indie territory, and the runtime is filled with banter and engaging conversations. Actually the zinging dialogue, and minimalism outside of photographing nature, means PRINCE AVALANCHE might be just as comfortable on the stage.
“There is so little to do out here, I must have read it 100 times,” Alvin to Madison in a letter.
The correspondence spells foreboding for the uptight, thoughtful Alvin. The polar opposite to the living-in-the-moment, irresponsible Lance. The straight man to the funny man dynamic. It appears that they represent the duality of Green’s filmmaking styles, and maybe even his personality? It is a classic, cliché pairing of two protagonists, but the languid pacing and beautiful setting, and ripe repartee, keep things far from banal. Lance has his own lady worries, namely trying to score with his friend’s girlfriend. Don’t worry, it’s not all relationship chat, there are musings on the future, and we do see the moving aftermath of the devastation. There is so often in cinema the railing against of the material, to cherish loved ones and experiences over possessions. And those sentiments, while often mawkishly played out, are healthy ones. However, PRINCE AVALANCHE touches on the idea that certain artefacts we own are proof of our existence and achievements, such as a pilot’s logbook. Alvin comes across a lady sifting the debris of her home looking for said item. It’s a scene that slots in seamlessly into the joyful framework of optimism of PRINCE AVALANCHE.
|
|
