Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench (2009): a "Mumblecore" Musical
When a problem arises, we don’t really know very much about them (someone says the wrong word, etc.) besides the fact that people are upset or unhappy. Well, that’s not competely accurate. We might may understand the problem, but the incident suggests a bigger problem in the relationship.
This, right here, is precisely what I found so exciting about the film. For me the song sequences and the instrumentals suggest an inner world for the characters which simply can’t be expressed. They sing the things characters in other films say way too easily. I also liked the fact that while the musical numbers pull the characters out of their “flat” existences, they are still grounded in those existences. I think Guy is more emotionally flat than Madeleine but the last scene is special because he expresses himself directly to her and us and the film leaves us wondering about what he’s saying, whether his message reached her and what will come next.
The sequence with Guy’s new girlfriend and the old man was extraordinary, though not completely in a good way. The way this exchange begins is hard to believe but the way it unfolds is perfect, in a ramshackle way. The scene where Guy and her meet was a bit too smooth for me despite being well filmed. The crowded screen was effective here, perhaps too effective.
The characters are not entirely appealing and for me that’s a good thing. The filmmaker and performers don’t work overtime to ingratiate the characters with the audience. It’s like hanging out for an hour and a half with some people you don’t know and really paying attention to try to understand who they are. You see flickers of possibility but you don’t get answers that define them, just more questions.
The film was one of the best recent offerings I’ve seen. It helped remedy the bad experience I had sitting through Medicine for Melancholy. More on that later.
I agree with your assessment Jazz. I thought it was solid overall. Some of the musical numbers didn’t hold my interest in the later part of the film but on the whole I liked the film. The two leads were likable enough. Damien Chazalle is someone to watch I think. He’s in the Sundance institute so we should see more from him. When you talk about the relationships in the film, I think we all can agree that the stuff with the girl Guy dumps for Madeleine was weak.
So did you guys like the acting and dialogue overall? I thought with better actors and dialogue—and maybe better dance numbers and songs/singing—the film could have been a lot better. Small dramas aren’t necessarily hurt by amateur actors and low-budgets—and sometimes these things can enhance a film—but with musicals, I don’t think this is necessarily the case.
@Mike
I thought of you while watching the film—especially about how you’d feel about the song-and-dance numbers—especially since my impression is that you dislike musicals. I wish I could remember if I felt the musical numbers fit with the emotions of the characters as you suggest.
@Superkal
…I think we all can agree that the stuff with the girl Guy dumps for Madeleine was weak.
Wait, what do you mean? (I don’t remember the film too well, now, either.)
How did you get hold of this film? I’ve not heard of it before.
@Mike Spence, what didnt you like about Medicine for Melancholy? I love that film.
@Celery
If you have netflix, it’s available for streaming. (I heard about it because it played at a local theater.)
Sadly Netflix has yet to reach UK shores (I think so anyway).
Sadly Netflix has yet to reach UK shores (I think so anyway).
Sadly Netflix has yet to reach UK shores (I think so anyway).
it’s available on thepiratebay
I’m over the moon about this movie. If “Shadows” and “I Love Melvin” married and had a baby it would look like this. A delicate mixture of old school indie (ie. pre-Tarantino) with the sort of low-budget loose-limbed musicals Hollywood used to make (see also Quine"s “My Sister Eileen” and Donen’s “Give A Girl of Break”) it’s a work of pure unalloyed pleasure for those of us who don’t understand why characters in ALL movies don’t suddenly burst into song.
…why characters in ALL movies don’t suddenly burst into song.
I just puked into my mouth.
nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Well now we get to the beating heart of things Mr. Peabody
(and believe me you have nothing to do with Mr. Peabody
aho love musicals)
a fortiori
@Mike Spence, what didnt you like about Medicine for Melancholy? I love that film.
I’m going to write a full review. It tries hard enough to deserve that i don’t just attempt to eviscerate it in two sentences.
my impression is that you dislike musicals.
Say what??? I love musicals! I don’t think all of the are great works of art but some of them are. Here’s one of my favorites: Nick Peterson’s Yellow
Very Portland.
@Jazz- I was talking about the relationship between Guy and the girl he meets, has a fling with, and then the movie leads us to believe he wants to get back with Madeleine. I think most of the emotional beats of the story suffer from the minimal approach the directors takes to those scenes.
@Superkal
I think the basis for the break-up might have been poorly developed, and the chemistry between the two might not have been so effective for me. On the other hand, conceptually, I sort of like the minimal approach—one that relies on the viewer to fill in the blanks. For example, I sort of liked the minimal approach at the end, when Guy plays the song for Madeline. I thought this was an effective way to tell us they were reconnecting.
A part of me feels the weak emotional beats stems more from the actors—both in terms of their acting and in terms of the chemistry between them (the two leads). My feeling is that better actors could have made those minimalist scenes work.
@David and Mike
I’m assuming you guys disagree with my assessment of the acting.
I love the acting.
Yes, I also love the acting or non-acting. I respect the talent of professionals but sometimes it isn’t necessary. This would be one of those times.
Jazzaloha
I just saw this over the weekend. Here are some thoughts and questions:
>Although I dislike the term “mumblecore,” using the term will give you an idea of what this film is like. The film does have qualities I’ve seen in other “mumblecore” films—e.g. low budget quality, amateur actors (or little known actors), lots of hand held shots, awkward moments (as Robert likes to call it), more of a realistic feel. What’s interesting is that the film uses this approach to make a musical.
>Some of the musical/dance numbers were pretty fun (two tap dancing numbers), but I wished they used more musical-dance numbers overall. There were long gaps between them. Some of the instrumental and jazz sections were just OK, imo.
>I have mixed feelings about the subtlety and low-key approach of the film. By this I mean, there were very few dramatic moments in the film—especially bewteen the couples. Not only that, but the interactions are very minimalist. When a problem arises, we don’t really know very much about them (someone says the wrong word, etc.) besides the fact that people are upset or unhappy. Well, that’s not competely accurate. We might may understand the problem, but the incident suggests a bigger problem in the relationship. At the same time, the positive moments in the relationship are approached in a minimalist way (like the ending scene where Guy is playing the ballad and we see both his expression and Madeline’s—I liked this by the way). While I liked this approach, I don’t know if it was fit well with the song-and-dance sequences. Actually, the bigger problem might have been the appeal of the main characters. They seemed a little too flat (emotionally).
>I wonder how others feel about the use of the close-up and editing—which crowded the screen and created a suffocating feeling. I didn’t care for this approach. It felt like an empty attempt at hipness.
Anyone else see this?