The Beach Bum stars Matthew McConaughey as Moondog, a poet who’s been procrastinating when it comes to writing his new book, much to the dismay of his wife Minnie, played by Isla Fisher. He instead spends his days aimlessly wandering around the Florida Keys, living a more hedonistic lifestyle, drinking and partying. After a series of events, he soon finds himself without a home and needs to finish his novel so he can get back on his feet, though winds up on a series of adventures with both old friends and new people he encounters.
The film is written and directed by cult filmmaker Harmony Korine, his first since 2012’s Spring Breakers. The Beach Bum in some ways feels like a spiritual sequel to Spring Breakers. That film also took place mainly on a beach and was an entertaining, over-the-top adventure that was fueled mainly by an exaggerated performance by James Franco.
McConaughey’s performance as Moondog is very much in the same vein as Franco’s performance. He laughs at everything, doesn’t care all that much what others think of him, and is the life of the party at the beach, which in turn makes him the most entertaining aspect of the film. He’s in just about every scene and the fact that he has so much fun with the role makes him a joy to watch.
And it seems like the rest of the cast wants to have as much as McConaughey. This film contains an eclectic supporting group of actors, including Fisher, Snoop Dogg, Jonah Hill, Martin Lawrence, Zac Efron, and in one of the oddest choices, Jimmy Buffett as himself. When each of them are on screen, they do let loose, and play off McConaughey well. It’s a movie centered around a group of party animals, and the cast is aware of exactly what kind of movie this is, and all seem like they’re not trying to take themselves too seriously.
However, outside of Fisher and Snoop Dogg, the movie never really gets much screen time with anyone else. Just about anyone else is essentially a glorified cameo. And this wouldn’t be such a big deal, if it weren’t for the fact that they don’t really make much of an impact. They show up, hang out with McConaughey for a few scenes, then depart, with the exception of Hill, who shows up in two separate but very brief scenes at different points in the movie. While this is mainly McConaughey’s movie, there should still have been some characterization to the people he interacts with, yet with the exception of one or two moments, everyone feels like they’re just there, contributing next to nothing.
This leads to what the film’s overall problem essentially is, and it’s the fact that all it is is a series of moments. While the movie does follow Moondog journeying around from one setting to another, the movie feels more like a series of vignettes rather than anything with a complete beginning, middle, and end. There is a loose plot involving Moondog needing to finish his book for a specific reason, but the movie barely treats it as anything of true importance.
That’s due to the fact that nearly all of the film is filled with scenes of quickly edited shots. Not once is there a shot that lasts more than a few seconds. It’s a film that’s constantly moving and is always on its feet, and it feels as aimless as Moondog himself. And while the editing is at least consistent and it does help the 95 minute runtime go by fairly quickly, because it always stays at this one consistent wandering-like pace, it never really picks up any momentum. It takes about a half hour for the plot to truly kick in, and the film barely treats it like it holds any true significance, being just another part of Moondog’s somewhat directionless life.
And the film’s pacing and somewhat lack of an effective story would be forgivable had it at least been funny. While McConaughey’s energetic performance is entertaining to watch, simply to see how he’ll react to certain people or situations, it doesn’t exactly lead to any laugh out loud moments. There are some amusing moments here and there that do get some legitimate laughs, but never is there really a solid joke or an entertaining setup.
It feels more like the movie is relying on the fact that its characters come off as eccentric, and are played by some unique actors, as if that’s one big joke in and of itself. And sure, it is intriguing to see Matthew McConaughey hang out with Martin Lawrence in one scene, and then both Jimmy Buffett and Snoop Dogg in the next. However, the movie still needs to do something interesting with those performers in order to have that unique setup have any staying power.
The Beach Bum had the potential to be one of the year’s biggest cult classics. It contains a great lead performance by an over-the-top Matthew McConaughey. And it does boast an eclectic supporting cast. However, the movie rarely makes any real use of any of them, and outside of a few sequences, it never really sets any of them up for a unique plot point or memorable laugh. The movie is a series of moments that just comes and goes like its protagonist, never truly leaving a mark.
Recommendation: Avoid It
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