Wristcutters: A Love Story (2007)
Wristcutters: A Love Story (2007) 7/10
Wristcutters: A Love Story can best be described as an existentialist road-trip romantic comedy about suicide. Yes, i have just used existentialist, romantic comedy and suicide in the same sentence. All you need to know about the movie is that it is quirky, original and good. Knowing too much could spoil your enjoyment of the film, which certainly counts as one of the most original scripts i’ve seen in a long time. And yes, it pairs the theme of comedy with a serious topic like suicide. It is airy, quirky and yet does not downplay the seriousness of the subject matter.
Even the soundtrack, which would objectively be considered god-awful, is so totally fitting with the movie’s theme that it ironically becomes its strong point. The film starts with a killer (no pun intended) premise but the film drags in the middle with a meandering subplot that drags the film. Still, as a low profile indie flick, Wristcutters punches above its weight and deserves a look. And it opens the film with one of the most brilliantly crafted sequences of the year ( it ties with The Lookout for the Best Opening Scene of 2007).
“It’s uneven story pulls it back to earth, but many of its ideas are transcendent.”- Reeling Reviews
Wristcutters is a great example of adaptation of story to film. What a film and what a story!!
I have loved Edgar Keret from the moment he started writing stories and can recommend his collection of short stories “The Busdriver Who Wanted to Be God” (Toby Press $12.95)to anyone. The last story in this volume “Kneller’s Happy Campers” is the story that Wristcutters was based upon. If you like readingeven half as much as you like watching movies: Enjoy!
Comment by love_4books — January 24, 2008 @ 2:58 pm