Harmony Korine’s Spring Breakers is a bizarre, highly stylized piece of cinema, and a minor masterpiece, of sorts. It stars the media machine known as James Franco, the man who seemingly cranks out more projects than anyone. There’s not a time when he’s not doing SOMETHING – besides driving everyone crazy with that face. This movie is one of his highlights in 2013.
The film is about four college girls who lose their minds on spring break in South Florida (where else?). When they are arrested for partying, they’re bailed out by the mysterious gangster/rapper/crazy man, Alien (Franco). What happens next is raging spree of sex and crime and Britney Spears, and it’s mesmerizing.
Korine explores aspects of morality, loyalty, longing, and loss of innocence. Some people don’t get or just completely hate Korine’s work. I’m not one of those people. Kids and Gummo will forever haunt me – in a good way. I’ll admit, he’s not always a master of filmmaking, but he’s not afraid of taking chances.
With Spring Breakers, he’s created a hypnotic experience, one relying a lot on its musical landscape. It’s at once bombastic and confusing, and helps narrate the film in a way that envelopes the viewer. Franco sweetly, croakily sings the aforementioned Britney Spears piano rendition while the girls dance around in neon pink face masks and semiautomatics. It’s positively and delightfully strange.
Vanessa Hudgens (in a breakout role worth noting) and Selena Gomez do things some of the precious girls in the acting world would rather die than do. Which of course, will probably keep them very relevant for a long time to come. And Franco steps outside of his typical sensitive dude roles sporting a gold grill and full-on prison braids, and a flawless dirty south Florida accent, and ostensibly steals the movie. In one of the best scenes, Alien shows off “all his shit,” and the moment becomes this repetitive, dream-like scenario. It ends with Vanessa Hudgens and Ashley Benson forcing him to give head to a loaded gun, where upon he proclaims his love for them. Gucci Mane even makes a welcome appearance.
When Korine hits the proper social notes, like he does here and has done in the past with lo-fi stuff like Gummo, holy shit you’re in for a ride. In his world, you actually feel for Franco’s character, even though every part of you wants to dislike him. It’s a perfect accomplishment.
If you missed it, do yourself a giant favor and check it out ASAP.
“Look at all my shit!”
I give it five devil heads.