It's been 6 years since Harmony Korine blessed us with his surreal take on late capitalism in his neon drenched fever dream Spring Breakers and with The Beach Bum, he delivers pretty much what you should expect in a follow up. This time, instead of our cultural obsession with excess, Korine aims more directly at what it is to be a celebrity in 2019.
It seems so long ago that America was engrossed in the career renaissance of Matthew McConaughey but after his recent stretch of films like The Dark Tower, Serenity, and White Boy Rick - The Beach Bum instills hope that not all is lost. It may have been a bit of a box office disappointment but the Beach Bum shows the brilliance of an actor that can go from an ice cold, nihilistic True Detective to a bumbling, entitled trainwreck named Moondog. The stunning range this guy is capable of and his intoxicating charisma is what carries this film for a large portion of it's running time. It's also the perfect symbol for Korine's message about celebrity culture.
It's Moondog's undeniable charm that seems to let him get away with everything. He's a reckless drunk, wastes every opportunity he's given, and receives praise for the most minuscule of accomplishments just because people know who he is. He's glorified for his art (which isn't much more than drunken rants he calls poems) and yet hasn't actually produced anything in years. That is, until he kind of sort of kills his sugar momma wife (played by Isla Fisher) and is forced to finally work again. Then of course when he finally releases his work to great success and critical acclaim, he literally burns through the entirety of his wealth in another vulgar display of recklessness which will inevitably start the cycle over again and force him back into writing more half assed poetry. It's a beautifully satirical ending and Korine really seems to be on a string of phenomenal work with his mix of intoxicating visuals that leave you in a blurred-out haze and biting social commentary that leaves you thinking days the credits roll.
And even if Moondog's shtick starts to wear thin on you (which not unlike James Franco's Alien from Spring Breakers, is likely intentional as the character is actually kind of a selfish asshole) the supporting cast is phenomenal as well. I would have liked to have spent a little more time with Zac Efron's ridiculous Flicker character but the bits with Moondog's manager (played by Jonah Hill) and Captain Wack (played by Martin Lawrence) more than make up for it. It's refreshing to see Lawrence in particular return to the screen in such a peculiar role that's as funny and strange as anything you've ever seen him in.
Korine's latest neon nightmare is a pitch black comedic gem that had me laughing harder than any other film so far this year. It's absolutely absurd but not just for absurdity's sake. I mean the outfits are great and everything but the message underneath the heavy cloud of smoke is what makes this film so remarkable and another testament to why Harmony Korine is one of independent cinema's most unique and enlightening voices.
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