It’s really interesting to read the user comments about this film on IMDB. Writer after writer basically projects their own philosophy on it.
I’m going to be the old curmudgeon and take the less worshipful view. I probably won’t be able to articulate why think movie didn’t work for me, whereas “Being John Malkovich” did. It all boils down to the following:
In “Malkovich”, you pretty much knew through the whole movie it was a fantasy. Synecdoche wants to make Big Statements, but Kaufman makes it clear that anything goes. There aren’t any rules in his fantasy world, so a scene in which the characters appear to be in anguish or distraught might simply be another artifice. So ultimately, you can’t care about any character since they never rise above being characters.
On top of that, the protagonist Caden is the Eeyore of Eeyores. He’s always apologizing; for his impotence, for saying the wrong thing to all the women in his life. The only thing that seems to keep him from suicide is cowardice.
That said, the movie is sumptuously produced and well-acted–I suppose. But who can tell?
I recommend seeing it, but I’m bewildered by the IMDB people/ 29% gave it a 10/10 (really? on the par with Kurosawa and Citizen Kane?) who say it changed their life and “at this point, there’s not reason to see any movie not written by Charlie Kaufman.” I mean, please.
Do realize, too, that you’re going to need to set aside 2.5 hours to watch it, editing was apparently not something Kaufman was worried about.
When I read their comments, I do get a feeling that a lot of the reviewers who trumpeted this as a masterpiece are basically patting themselves on the back for being able to appreciate this Gem of Art where the proles miss the point. The movie seems to me to be something that “Matthew Barney” would approve of.
Here are a couple of very typical comments from IMDB subscribers:
Synecdoche is the craftiest, most sublime, and beautifully poignant movie possibly ever made. It leaves you with a very real sense of what it is to be human, at the same time stripping you of your fantasies and leaving you humbly alone to ponder on it all.
Synedoche is one of the greatest films I have ever seen in my life.
The curmudgeon in me keeps getting a whisper that a lot of these people have never really seen a lot of great cinema, so this pic qualifies.
Ah, I think I happened on one comment that maybe sums up why I’m not so enamored:
I saw this movie in an Art Theater, and my girlfriend and I were initially annoyed by the fact that much of the audience laughed hysterically at moments that were serious. But later we realized that it’s because the movie was too challenging for them, and they were uncomfortable.
Busted! There’s my problem, it was too challenging for me.
