Jason SchwartzmanI Heart Huckabees (Two-Disc Special Edition)

Wow, who would have imagined that "I ♥ Huckabees" would have so many favorable comments. Apparently there are a lot of people who were able to read this film, something that I found difficult. Of course I was somewhat distracted trying to decide if it was Jude Law or Freddie Prinze Jr. as the corporate PR guy (very scary resemblance).Since this is an adult version of "Harriet the Spy", those who liked that film as kids might have had an advantage when processing their first viewing of "Huckabees". The themes of friendship, accommodation, and perseverance are central to both films and in both films it is necessary to sort through a lot of other stuff before it becomes clear what the film is trying to show us.(Along with "Harriet") "Chinatown" and "Casablanca" influenced "Huckabees" message and style. Like "Chinatown" the events revolve around a detective's office and the audience stays a few steps behind the narrative. And like "Casablanca" a background of ordinary events serves as a stage for the discussion and attempted resolution of very significant issues. The title is a metaphor, "Huckabees" is a Walmart-like store whose ubiquitousness is turning the country into a strip mall. Since little girls in Third World countries are going blind supplying product for the store, shopping at Huckabees is to blind oneself to injustice. Meaning that we face a moral choice of choosing to recognize the truth and live in a state of guilt and paralysis or ignore the truth and exist inside a bright lie that would almost be perfect-except we must shut down our brains to maintain the illusion. The latter state illustrated by those driving SUV's who expressed surprise and outrage over the events of 9/11.The message is that apparent reality is not the total reality and how limited we are in our ability to understand any of it (insert "Mona Lisa Smile" here). Another of the themes is that you must give up a little to get a little, that ego prevents us from connecting.In retrospect it is amazing that the film was ever made and that it was made with a relatively large ($20MM) budget. Comparing what is on the screen to "Napoleon Dynamite" (made for a fraction of the money), it is hard to see where the $20MM went, except to pay the name cast who probably would have worked for free on this as a labor of love. It must have been obvious from the beginning that "Huckabees" would lose money.It was also obvious that the film would fail in delivering its ambitious message. Not because it is poorly written, but because the material is too complicated for the medium. Which makes this a good time to praise the commentary sections that are on most recent DVD's. DVD commentaries's are the most revolutionary film-making development since sound. They give directors and screenwriters a footnote device that encourages multiple viewings and allows them to help audiences read their films. Since only a fraction of viewers utilize this feature, it has not yet changed the way a film is shot and assembled, so at least for the short term there is no downside. There are two commentaries on the "I ♥ Huckabees" DVD and they are essential to appreciating this film. So much so that those who missed seeing it in theaters might have been fortunate because now they will have quick access to this resource.Although David Russell pokes fun at how we take ourselves too seriously, he is also trying to reach us with a message that will help us keep life in a better-balanced perspective and keep us aggressively examining everything we discover in the process of living. This message element was a much more important motivation to him than the satire element.What makes the Huckabees' parody unique is that none of the philosophical positions are actually absurdist (all are worthy of consideration) or even particularly exaggerated, the fun comes from the characters' total conviction that only their ideas are correct. And what saves this thing from being the most pretentious film of all time is that Russell does not plug any concept other than keeping an open mind.Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

I Heart Huckabees is one of the funniest movies I've ever seen! The film is well done; the only qualm I have about it is that things develop rapidly at certain points in the movie. The acting is very convincing; and the casting couldn't have been done any better. The choreography and cinematography are terrific; and the musical score enhances the film as well.When the action starts (and there's plenty of it), Albert Markovski (Jason Schwartzman) is puzzled by a coincidence that he believes could have great meaning and maybe even say something about his existence here on Earth. What is Albert's coincidence? He meets a tall, slender black man (Stephen Nimieri played by Ger Duany) three times in three locations; Albert is confused about what this coincidence might mean. Albert also wouldn't mind discovering the meaning of life and even the universe in general. Thus Albert goes to husband and wife team Bernard (Dustin Hoffman) and Vivian (Lily Tomlin) who are existential detectives; they will spy on him so he can find out the meaning of his coincidence and more.But not only do Bernard and Vivian spy on Albert, they also act as a type of existentialist therapist team; they want Albert to discover more about himself and the universe using unusual methods like placing Albert is what seems to be a zipper/body bag; and Bernard shows Albert the meaning of what appears to be a simple white blanket. As the plot moves along we see what develops as Albert tries so hard to find out the answers to his questions.Of course, things are even more complicated. Enter firefighter and environmentalist Tommy Corn (Mark Wahlberg) who gets involved with Bernard, Vivian and their professional nemesis Caterine Vauban (Isabelle Huppert); and Brad Stand (Jude Law) also becomes a client of Bernard and Vivian's although Brad is primarily worried about his climb up the corporate ladder at Huckabees, a department store supposedly teaming up with Albert's activist group Open Spaces so Huckabees can look good in the public eye.There is more to the plot that I'll leave out so you can enjoy this as much as I did! I think the best way to view this film is as a quirky comedy that pokes fun at existentialism; philosophy; therapy; people desperate to know the meaning of life and their place in the universe; the ongoing battle between philosophers and even therapists with different points of view; environmentalists; models going through personal crises (like Dawn Campbell played by Naomi Watts) and more. There is also a brief cameo by Shania Twain.I Heart Huckabees is a 2 DVD set. There are 2 rather interesting optional running commentaries on the first DVD; the second DVD includes 22 deleted/extended scenes with outtakes; a production documentary; a "detective infomercial;" a music video I really liked; a "Charlie Rose Show" interview with director/co-writer David O. Russell--and more!I Heart Huckabees is a great film with many, many funny moments that had me laughing out loud. As someone who has been both a counselor and a counseling patient, I found the way the film pokes fun at people's personal issues and philosophies to be hysterical and not at all offensive. I highly recommend this film for fans of the actors in it; and people who like quirky comedies that deal with major life issues; competing philosophies; therapy and so much more will not be disappointed.

When you think you've changed, you haven't. Any so-called new you is still you. This film is a great exercise in the circle of life. It takes existentialism and exposes it and hides it at the same time.I was disturbed at first with the characters talking over each other until I realized that neither point was any more important than the point the other character was making so it didn't matter if you heard both points or the point that you were trying to hear.The falsity of celebrity was made in the Shania Twain anecdote. And the point that our reality is not as solid as we think it is.I didn't see this film when it first came out and didn't get why so many people were raging about it. It takes a huge step into a college level philosophy lecture and comes out on the other end at the beginning.Very well done, David O. This was a pet project attempting to expose the world to stuff a lot of people joke about and don't really get. It was shades of 70's era Kwai Chang Caine brought into the 21st century.King Kong aint got nothing on you, David. I recommend you see this with a curiously open mind, and it will close the doors on a lot of preconceptions you may have about Hollywood and smart movies."Deep Cover" with Lawrence Fishburn was another film as smart as this one that movie goers missed because of the subject matter.You may take the pebble from my hand.

Weird, quirky, funny, lovely! Just like me! 😂 I love everything about this movie. And it’s even better with a mushroom pizza! 😉

This is just inspired filmmaking. Perfectly goofy, hilarious in many places and a complete delight. It's totally cohesive as a narrative and perfectly believable in its own way. It has some truly wonderful performances from Jason Schwartzman, Mark Wahlberg, Lily Tomlin... hell, even Dustin Hoffman reignites some of the old magic for his part. On repeated viewings, perhaps Jude Law's character begins to get right up your nose and Naomi Watts seems criminally underused, but this is still a breath of fresh air.As for the philosophy, for me it was all perfectly palateable, having much in common with New Agey/ancient Indian thought. But the director has an incredibly light touch and seamlessly weaves in the profundities to the story... this is no snoozefest (unlike the more lauded but far more tedious Life Aquatic...) It was continually surprising and I had a smile plastered on my face throughout each viewing... much as I had when I saw Being John Malkovich.

This is a great film, because it is funny and makes you think. If there is mixed opinion, it's possibly because some people are bored by its use of philosophy inside the comedy, whilst philosophers are bored by the comedy within the philosophy. I think it's a great combination, showing that 'big and clever' philosophical notions are actually quite simple and can be applied on a small scale, and used within comedy. Yes, the characters aren't exactly memorable - I only remember Albert - but isn't that the point? If philosophy is a way of looking outside life itself, then surely a philosophical film has to look outside conventional film devices as well? Everyone who sees this (or at least is open-minded enough to watch to the end) will remember Jude Law's character asking "When am I not myself?" That, for me, makes this film worth something. Plus there are some funny parts, like the concept of hitting one's face with a ball to stop thought. If Sartre had been able to watch this, he would have approved. Or maybe just laughed at the funny bits.

A comedy about philosphy so full marks for originality and this is also very funny. Unusual for dvds the extras are excellent particularly the discussion show and the bloopers reel.I would however like to clear up a few matters. Hoffman and Tomlin are not existentialists. A lot of reviewers think they are because the film describes them as exististential detectives. The word existential just means you investigate matters of existence and is not to be confused with existentialism, which is a particular philosophical arguement about existence. This point is important because the film is about a clash of two theories of our existence. 1. positivism or functionalism - hoffman and Tomlin. and, 2. existentialism - french lady. The film made clear that hoffman and Tomlin where positivists but by using the words existential detectives they clearly confused some of you.At the start of the film we see Albert Markovski, (jason schwartzman) an environmental activist, meeting with the detectives to enquire about a series of bizarre coincidences concerning a tall black guy who keeps popping up in his life. The detectives agree to investigate and what follows is the unravelling of this character and every other character in the film as they each expose themselves to such indepth analysis.Particularly funny is walbergs character the fireman who along with Markovski quickly rejects Hoffmans warm positivist theory that everything is connected via the blanket and replace it with the depressing existential assertion that nothing is connectioned i.e we are all alone even familys and friends are human constructs not genuinne emotional attachments. This is the reason why most of the existentialists including sartre killed themselves. We watch these two jouney from positivism to existentialism as the film pokes fun at both philosophys to amazing comedic effect. Along the way we also see organised fundamentalist religion and every other explanation of our existence taken to the cleaners.excellent acting, excellent story, brill film.

So sad when good actors come up with the kind of tedious crap.

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