There have been many
films to follow in the footsteps of works by Robert Altman
and Woody Allen, and "13 Conversations About One
Thing" in no exception. Though directed by Jill
Sprecher, it is as if it was actually a joint collaboration
by Allen and Altman (though, at the same time, not).
Alas, it also stands as tribute to both of those men in
that it is so skillfully tied together and directed,
showing that a new crop of talented directors have found
their mentors from years past.
"How do we achieve happiness" is the question
posed by this film, though it was posed much better by the
stunning 1998 film "Happiness". As I
mentioned earlier, I appreciated this film for two
reasons: (1) it is a wonderful tribute to two
classic directors, and (2) it is skillfully crafted by the
director. Alas, a great director with a grand
design can't make up for piss-poor performances and
lackluster appeal. This is a film about five
stories: (1) a middle aged man wants to change his
life, (2) an attorney is in jeopardy after a hit and run,
(3) a woman faces her husbands cheating ways, (4) a
businessman seeks revenge on a coworker, and (5) a
cleaning woman waits on a miracle. Of course, these
stories weave together and every life in the film is
ultimately touched by every other life in the film.
This is all done beautifully. I could explain how
they were all touched, but that would give away too much
of the film.
I can, without a doubt, say that there are only two
worthwhile performances in this entire film, and they come
from John Turturro and Alan Arkin. Matthew
McConaughey gives his worst performance to date, and Clea
Duvall needs to go back to wherever in the hell she came
from, because acting just isn't her gig. But,
despite two good performances, the overall mediocrity of
the remaining performances drags this film down into a
pit, from which it just can't escape.
While watching this flick,
I was reminded of two films especially--"Short
Cuts" by Robert Altman and "Grand Canyon"
by Cassavettes. Like "Short Cuts", it
focuses in on how single acts can change a life forever
and like "Grand Canyon", it dealt with the
search for meaning and happiness. Those films did a
better job of showcasing their themes than this film,
though "13 Conversations..." does achieve much
as a film.
Overall, this film is moderately enjoyable. There
aren't many things wrong with it, but the things that ARE
wrong with it are too noticeable to overlook. Jill
Sprecher is obviously a very talented director, and I
can't wait for her next film, but she just focused too
much on a tribute and not enough on character development
or strong character performances. You start out with
13 conversations and leave the theatre really only caring
about 2.
