Spring Breakers
Starring: James Franco, Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Benson, Rachel Korine
Directed by Harmony Korine
Rated: R
Run Time: 94 mins
Genre: Comedy/ Crime/ Drama
Opens March 22nd
By Lisa Minzey of The Reel Critic.com
Art is a subjective evaluation of looking at the world, especially when that art comes in the form of moving images and sound. Filmed almost like a dream like state, Director Harmony Korine present to the film world a new image of squeaky clean teen role models conjures the image of a long forgotten tabloid joke and wraps it all up with the debauchery which is known as Spring Break.
Four college age girls, friends since childhood, desperately seek to travel out of town for their Spring Break Vacation. Candy (Vanessa Hudgens), Brit (Ashley Benson) and Cotty (Rachel Korine) are the wild ones of the group while good girl Faith (Selena Gomez) tries to stay true to her roots of morality. The problem is that none of the girls have enough money to go on vacation. The three wild girls take matters into their own hands to get the funds for all to go down to Daytona Beach, leaving their dull existence behind.
After they arrive, the girls find themselves in hot water, spending the night in jail. During their hearing, local rapper/ drug dealer Alien (James Franco) helps them out, takes them under his wing. Faith, being the sensible one, tries to get the girls to leave Alien but will the temptation and freedom of the Spring Break lechery be their downfall?
There should be a rating of films that are labeled WTF as it’s most fitting for this bizarre film. Yes, Spring Break is a time for the college students of the world to let loose and relax before the end of the school year. It is a fact that this time is wild, unpredictable and unruly. What this film attempts to portray is a convoluted attempt to showcase this college tradition in a dreamlike, drug and sex filled haze. It is as if it’s seen through an addict’s mind, skipping parts, going back and repeating the same diatribe over and over again expecting a different result. If there was ever a way to distance your career from the Mouse House, Hudgens, Gomez and even Franco to an extent, have done just that. Hudgens takes a risk on this role, which may pay off if she wants to get more revealing, sexually driven roles, but the danger in doing that is that it’s relying more on her physical appearance rather than her emotionally driven performances which flat lined through the film. Gomez sticks to her roots as the good girl, but it is surprising that she would choose to be of a project such as this. Saving the best performance of the film for last as James Franco channels the essence of K- Fed (a.k.a. ex-Mr. Britney Spears, Kevin Federline) in his drug dealer turned burgeoning rap star of the Spring Break scene Alien. In other films, Franco has played the stoner role to perfection, but the creep factor in this role is exponential. “Spring Breakers” will most likely end up as one of those cult/ art house films that play upon shock factor to drive audiences to the theater, but like most spring break experiences, will fade from memory just as fast. You be the judge when “Spring Breakers” opens in theaters starting March 22, 2013.
