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Should you choose to sit down and watch David O. Russell's (Three Kings) latest film I (heart) Huckabees, I can make one guarantee: you will either love it, or hate it. You could find yourself turning it off after half an hour, frustrated, swearing and wanting a refund. You just as easily, could laugh out loud at its absurdity, want to watch it again, and begin to ask "How am I not myself?"
The story centers around Albert (Jason Schwartzman), an environmentalist who wants to find out if a series of coincidences in his life have any deeper meaning. In the hopes of getting some answers, he hires a pair of existential detectives (Lily Tomlin and Dustin Hoffman). They introduce him to Tommy (Mark Wahlberg), a firefighter who has gone into a post-9/11 state of questioning existence, and taken a firm, yet comedic, stance against the use of petroleum.
The existential investigation moves to Albert's rival Brad (Jude Law), an executive at Huckabees' department stores, and his relationship with his spokesmodel wife Dawn (Naomi Watts). The couple seems to live the glossy life that Huckabees promotes, until the investigators make them begin to question every aspect of their personalities. From there, the entire situation begins to unravel in spectacular fashion for all involved.
I loved this film, and believe it to be one of the most original movies around. I bought into its existentialism and oddball humour and fantastic performances. That said, I can see how some viewers just might not follow it's brand of humour, so this may be a DVD you should rent first if you've never seen it before.
The video looks beautiful in this 2.35:1 Anamorphic transfer, with a full screen version on the flip side. The contrast is good, especially the moments that feature Watts' acting in Huckabees' TV spots. They seem as bright and shiny as anything The Gap has ever made. The visual effects that come up sporadically look great, and keep good sharpness.
Most of the dialogue in the 5.1 surround mix comes from the front channels, with the rear providing the occasional sound effect. The sweet score by Jon Brion is where the sound mix really flourishes, using all five channels, including the subwoofer that pounds out some very deep piano bass notes.
There are next to no features on this single disc edition from Fox Searchlight. The DVD has two feature length, screen-specific commentaries; one by director David O. Russell, and another where he is joined by Wahlberg and Schwartzman. The first commentary actually does quite a bit to help explain this very theoretical movie, and could provide some answers to those viewers who "didn't get it". The group commentary is loose and fun, and provides a lot of insight into the filmmaking and the absurd story.
Fox has also released a two-disc special edition of this movie. It will be released the same day, it's loaded with features, and only costs about an additional $6. If you are already a fan of the film, perhaps that's the route for you. If you haven't seen it yet, start with this edition. But don't say I didn't warn you.
