Wuchak
May 18, 2019
2/10
A total BORE about being lost in the desert, but Worthwhile for a few reasons
"Gerry" (2002) is a film by Gus Van Sant, the director of "Good Will Hunting" and "Elephant." It stars Matt Damon and Casey Affleck as two friends who get lost in the desert; they spend the entire film just walking around the beautiful parched landscapes trying to find a way out.
As a captivating piece of cinema, "Gerry" is a TOTAL failure. I say this without any reservation because my definition of a good film is one that simply maintains your interest. If the film fails to capture your interest, that is, it bores you, causes your thoughts to wander, puts you to sleep, etc. THEN IT'S NOT A GOOD FILM. Yet, even though this is true, I find there are a number of reasons why "Gerry" is a worthwhile piece of cinema:
- It gives a good laugh. Although it's a serious "story" and by no means a comedy, I found myself uproariously laughing on quite a few occasions. Why? I don't know, perhaps because I can't believe someone would actually blow the money ($3.5 million) on making such a "film" and actually think people would like it (well, beyond pretentious art-geeks). Also there are several laugh-inducing sequences, albeit unintentional, like the absurdly overlong CRUNCH, CRUNCH, CRUNCH scene.
- It makes for a great joke movie. What I mean is, you can tell a friend or family member what a great movie you have for them to watch (do a lot of raving) and put "Gerry" in; then just kick back and wait for their inevitable negative reaction (e.g. "This movie's a piece of sh", etc.). In most cases it will only take between 15 and 20 minutes, and certainly no longer than 35-40 minutes, unless it's someone who has a romantic interest in you and doesn't want to hurt your feelings.
- If, like me, you enjoy watching beautiful landscapes, in this case desert landscapes filmed in America (Utah & Southern Cal) and Argentina, then "Gerry" is a decent flick in which to kick back. Especially if you just want to relax and not have to THINK. The ambient piano/violin score nicely enhances the relaxing mood.
- It is a great sleep-aid. Seriously, if you're having trouble sleeping, pop in "Gerry" and it'll send you straight to la-la land. I'm serious here, the first time I watched it I was ready to fall asleep after a mere 20 minutes, although I ended up lasting about a half hour. Because of this, it took me FOUR intervals to complete the film (and, yes, it put me to sleep each time).
