Guy and Madeline is film about a couple who meet and begin dating. Things seem to be going swimmingly, but then there is a tonal shift in the relationship. Guy doesn't seem to be as into it as Madeline and troubles begin to arise.
I liked this movie quite a bit. I'm sure a lot of that has to do with the fact the I enjoy jazz music, in particular traditional New Orleans jazz, and Guy in the film is a jazz trumpet player. There are several performances of his ensemble and a few more musical-esque singing and dancing in the streets scenes. I like how the film sort of commented on the nature of performance art as an attribute to jazz. There is a scene in the film at a party where out of nowhere a hipster begins talking. Then he starts pacing his phrases with the live band. Then he jumps out of nowhere and beginning tap dancing. Then the wallflower female gets into the action and they have a tap-off. The singing was not good, but the dancing was very sharp. Now that I think of it, Guy's music was all part of the story. Madeline's songs were interjected old school Hollywood style. I'm not sure what that says, but it may serve to further distance the characters.
This movie reminded me a lot of the FNW. I don't think you could watch the scene in the apartment towards the beginning of the movie and not think of Breathless. Later in the cafe A Bande Apart came to mind. Also, not a FNW film, I thought this movie addressed a lot of the music in the same manner that the film Once did. It was a musical, but the songs were organic and grew from the story. Guy and Madeline does the same thing a lot of the times.
One scene that I liked, but I thought really stuck out from the film was the shower scene. Up until that point you knew you were watching a movie. Although the camera was largely hand held, people don't burst into song in the street and dance with umbrella's in real life. At least not my real life. But the scene where Guy and Madeline are showering together we are presented an almost documentary like filming style. I felt that the scene was intrusive and voyeuristic. It really didn't fit in with anything else in the movie. There was another scene that I liked but felt not forced, but separated from the rest of the movie and that was when Madeline hangs out with the old guy. That was really uncomfortable.
Speaking of discomfort, the movie ends in a very ambiguous way. I thought the final scene did a great job of making me uncomfortable. Much like a scene on the subway early on in the movie was extremely touching and sincere.
I guess my biggest beef with the movie was that it was supposed to show this deteriorating relationship, but we never got to spend much of anytime with the happy couple. I could have used a few more moments of the two of them in love. Or at least the cutsie side of the first few weeks of dating someone. I feel like that would have created a lot more emotional connection to the characters and therefore I would have been all the more sympathetic to their romantic struggles. I give Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench ★★★.
No comments:
Post a Comment