Spring Breakers (2012)

Youth Pastor: "Are you jacked up on Jesus?"

By Harmony Korine
With Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens and James Franco

Seeing the poster for this movie had be thinking it would be just another one of those teenagers going all out on drinking parties comedy. I wasn't far from the truth, however having met director Harmony Korine through Kids (1995) and some of his other avant garde, often plotless, weird movies I decided to see it.

Four young girls are trying to get together and find enough money to go to Spring Break, down in Florida. Spring break comes and they haven't got nearly enough money. While the most reserved, Christian one attends a religious youth group, the three other rob a diner, gather the money, pick up the last friend and head down to Florida. Down there, the debauchery is at its paroxysm when the four of them get arrested. Unclear to what they are charged with, a mysterious stranger bails them out. But what does he expect from them in return?

The movie seems to unite the world of wild teenagers parties and more brutal crime. If you can stomach the intro of sheer debauchery which depicts everything the most religious people will single out as representing the debacle of the USA (and the western world), you're in for a ride. Most of the first half of the movie is about young girls, wearing a bikini at most, drinking, flirting, doing drugs and playing with guns. It definitely gets boring quick. The second part is where James Franco comes in, but alas, I found him to not be as convincing as he usually is. He depicts a delusional gangster addicted to easy money and display of power. I didn't find it much more interesting than the first half, sadly. It is always filmed in a weird, but really artistic way, a common trait to Korine's movies, but that's unfortunately all that it carries. It clearly lacked substance, which maybe I should have expected given the topic. There were some good use of music though. The acting wasn't really up to par.

I liked: Neon colors. Music. The sun and the beach.

I disliked: Nothing to remember of the story. I might be getting old, but seeing young women in a spectacle of debauchery quickly gets boring.

32/100
I quite enjoyed Harmony Korine and Larry Clark's films from the 90's but this didn't have that effect on me. It felt like something was missing.