Paranoid Park (2008)

Sorry, this movie sucks

It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Gus Van Sant does it again, although it took me a while to get into the film. But the combining of some classical ditties en peculiar shots and close-ups and the (crime) story, including a gruesome horror scene filmed from above, reminded me of good old Hitchcock, more specifically 'Psycho' (1960)... an actual shower scene can be no coincidence then, right? Well, we all knew how big a fan Van Sant was of that film.Furthermore, there's an extraordinary and fun choice of songs ('I can help' by Billy Swan, for instance), a series of 'hallway'-scenes reminiscent of Van Sant's earlier 'Elephant' (2003) and a fine build-up through an ingenious play with time and that notebook that keeps popping up everywhere.Unfortunately, I wasn't very much convinced by the acting, Gabe Nevins would seem more in place as a poster-boy for some big jeans brand or something. It was mostly the talent of Van Sant which I enjoyed here.A solid 7 out of 10.

A lot of people defending this movie have some valid points, and I think this movie was a decent attempt at what it's trying to do. In my opinion it just doesn't work. This movie is basically a yawn fest, and the plot is THIN. I get it, he's trying to let us inside the mind of a teenage boy trying to deal with no only a difficult family life, but also an unfortunate and traumatic event. Skateboarding seems to be used as his escape. It has the makings of the dramatic film it's trying to be, but there is just too many jumbled and mixed up scenes that offer the viewer nothing. It gets excruciatingly difficult to watch scene after scene of the camera just staring into the blank and expressionless face of the main character. I don't know, accuse me of being one of those people that need "Michael Bay explosions" to be entertained....whatever. I have no problem with movies that aren't action packed or straight forward, but this movie is too much.

This film was only half a movie so I gave it half the stars. I feel I'm being really generous as I believe it's only worth 4 stars but i wanted to say that awesome line :) In reality i can't really review this film bc i genuinely felt like the movie was incomplete. the main actor was good in that he assumed the nonchalant passiveness of a teenager but he didn't emote enough for me. I didn't feel or believe his pain at all. In short the story was good but the whole plot felt underdeveloped. The characters aren't such that you can grow a connection with them or sympathize for them in any way. The whole thing was rush and I wish the audience was given some more context both before and after the climax.

Alex, the teenager who is the protagonist in this movie, navigates his way through his days more often by reacting rather than acting. Only a couple of times do we see him really engaged, once when listening to music while driving and again when he listens to a newscast that has great relevance to him. With Alex being so visibly emotionless, and the minimalist approach taken overall, it is surprising that I felt I got to know him fairly well. At fist I was put off by the pacing, like a long take simply following Alex as he walks along a path near the beach. But you can tell a lot about someone by the way they dress and how they walk. After relaxing and letting the story unfold at its own pace I came to appreciate the dreamlike mood created.The story is told in a non-linear fashion that is initially a bit confusing, but a whole does emerge. The plot rests on a remarkably few pivot points and by the end I was surprised by how much had happened when it seemed like nothing had happened.The teens in this film seem real; I think Van Sant understands how teens actually talk to each other and interact. After a rash of movies portraying teens as sex obsessed it is good to see a teen who is ambivalent in his approach to this topic. Music plays a significant role, not only to establish mood, but to add commentary. For example, in one scene that has Alex walking down a high school hallway in slow motion (a scene that lasts well over a minute) Elliot Smith is singing the song "The White Lady Loves You More" which contains the lyric, "I'm lookin' at a hand full of broken plans and I'm tired of playing it down." This could well apply to Alex as he tries to deal with his parent's divorce, a tragic accident and death, sexual pressures, and boring classes. Alex's approach to his problems is the first response of most teens, or perhaps most everybody--avoidance and escape. The skateboard park that Alex is attracted to ("I could sit all day and watch") is key to his personality--he is more of an observer than a participant.I can see how some would find this movie pretentious and obtuse (Van Sant certainly does not hit you over the head with whatever it is he is trying to express), but it is a unique piece of work worth consideration.