Being involved with HBO's fantastic cult TV show Eastbound and Down has kept director David Gordon Green off the big screens for a few years now with 2011 misfires Your Highness and The Sitter his last venture into cinemas. Prince Avalanche therefore heralds a welcome return to the medium and non-gross out comedies, yet is perhaps a somewhat lesser entry into his varied film catalogue.
Not one to conform to the normal way of telling a story Green's film (itself a remake of a 2011 Icelandic film) sets up with an intriguing premise in 1988 where we find our two protagonists tasked with the arduous job of re-painting and re-marking the roads destroyed in the previous year's wildfire. These two men Alvin and Lance (one feels that this is where the Avalanche in the title comes from) are the type of lost souls usually found in a Wes Anderson picture and whilst never really striking a chord with the audience are well played by both Rudd and Hirsch and the two should be commended for taking on board this project.
The seemingly simple story synopsis for Prince Avalanche upon reflection has deeper connotations that may be variable from viewer to viewer. Gordon Green's simplistic take on the tale however can feel slight over the 90 minute running time and by the films end it feels as though there was more that could have been done throughout the film to transcend it from a mere enjoyable oddity to a solidified cult classic in waiting. Gordon Green's trademark black humour is also sparingly used throughout the film so fans of his more outrageous works should look elsewhere for the laughing kicks.
Prince Avalanche is an enjoyable film that perhaps overtime will start to be deconstructed with its hidden meanings making their way into the light of day, until then however it acts as an inoffensive piece of entertainment that whilst never outstaying it's welcome doesn't do anything much to stay in our long lasting memory.
3 witches hats out of 5
For more movie reviews and opinions check out -
www.jordanandeddie.wordpress.com
Not one to conform to the normal way of telling a story Green's film (itself a remake of a 2011 Icelandic film) sets up with an intriguing premise in 1988 where we find our two protagonists tasked with the arduous job of re-painting and re-marking the roads destroyed in the previous year's wildfire. These two men Alvin and Lance (one feels that this is where the Avalanche in the title comes from) are the type of lost souls usually found in a Wes Anderson picture and whilst never really striking a chord with the audience are well played by both Rudd and Hirsch and the two should be commended for taking on board this project.
The seemingly simple story synopsis for Prince Avalanche upon reflection has deeper connotations that may be variable from viewer to viewer. Gordon Green's simplistic take on the tale however can feel slight over the 90 minute running time and by the films end it feels as though there was more that could have been done throughout the film to transcend it from a mere enjoyable oddity to a solidified cult classic in waiting. Gordon Green's trademark black humour is also sparingly used throughout the film so fans of his more outrageous works should look elsewhere for the laughing kicks.
Prince Avalanche is an enjoyable film that perhaps overtime will start to be deconstructed with its hidden meanings making their way into the light of day, until then however it acts as an inoffensive piece of entertainment that whilst never outstaying it's welcome doesn't do anything much to stay in our long lasting memory.
3 witches hats out of 5
For more movie reviews and opinions check out -
www.jordanandeddie.wordpress.com