What a curious film this is! I'd love to know the back story, who thought up the idea over what breakfast table, and especially how these two young men with incredible potential were lured into what is basically a weak-scripted road movie. Both Leto and Gyllenhaal do their best with limited material, especially the latter who must have had fun acting (or being) stoned throughout most of the film.
The potential for a really fascinating relationship to develop between the two was lost with a tossed-in freak show (Alligator Boy in Oregon?) and topical nonsense about Kurt Cobain, and the villains of the piece who are totally predictable. Selma Blair fits in quite nicely to provide a foil for the sparring of the leads, and the almost 100 minutes sprints along quite nicely. Probably not a film to return to, but an interesting warm-up for Gyllenhaal's Brokeback Mountain and Leto's work with Oliver Stone. I wonder how they got talked into this one! It certainly couldn't been megabucks from the budget!
The potential for a really fascinating relationship to develop between the two was lost with a tossed-in freak show (Alligator Boy in Oregon?) and topical nonsense about Kurt Cobain, and the villains of the piece who are totally predictable. Selma Blair fits in quite nicely to provide a foil for the sparring of the leads, and the almost 100 minutes sprints along quite nicely. Probably not a film to return to, but an interesting warm-up for Gyllenhaal's Brokeback Mountain and Leto's work with Oliver Stone. I wonder how they got talked into this one! It certainly couldn't been megabucks from the budget!