I ♥ HUCKABEES

Imagine if every thought you ever had about the meaning of life – good, bad, ugly or otherwise – was given a voice and a face and almost two hours to argue its case before you and a theater full of people.

That’s kind of what it’s like watching I ♥ Huckabees, the wild, weird, wacky and wonderful new film from David O. Russell.

In an entirely stream-of-consciousness way, the film asks question upon question about The Big Picture. Life. And what it all means. There are opposing views, differing opinions, various theories and countless beliefs, and they all get their two cents in. At the center of the quest for answers is Albert Markovski (Jason Schwartzman), an environmental activist who believes that recent coincidences he’s experienced are trying to point him toward some kind of greater meaning to his existence. So he enlists the aid of Bernard and Vivian Jaffe (Dustin Hoffman, Lily Tomlin), a pair of existential detectives who aim to solve Albert’s cosmic conundrum by examining every aspect of his life for clues. Bernard and Lily believe everything in the universe is connected and that no stone should be left unturned in their investigation. They probe his relationship with corporate gladhander Brad Stand (Jude Law) and Brad’s perky spokesmodel girlfriend (Naomi Watts), and assign him an “other” (think: study buddy) named Tommy (Mark Wahlberg), a confused firefighter who’s grappling with his own mission to uncover life’s mysteries. At the same time, a mysterious French author (Isabelle Huppert) arrives with her own agenda: to help Albert (and everyone else) realize that nothing in the universe is connected and that life is random and meaningless.

Many people will find Huckabees too darned bizarre to follow, or will be put off by its seemingly random observations, plot points or characterizations. But I really liked all those things. I loved its unapologetically quirky vibe, visual effects and sense of style. I loved all the questions it asked, even if they weren’t answered. It was a bit like watching my own neuroses and confusion play out for me onscreen, and sometimes it’s that kind of minor connection that can strike a chord with an audience. The performances – especially those from Tomlin and Wahlberg – were terrific, and the film made me like Jason Schwartzman even more than I already did. In my eyes, a linear story wouldn’t have done the plot justice, so the topsy-turvy structure of the film suited me just fine.

Huckabees isn’t for everyone and, at the same time, it is for everyone. It’s the kind of film that might require repeat viewings, and I expect that the DVD will have more than a few extra hours of commentary and explanation on the part of the filmmakers. But watching Albert’s freaky trek along the bumpy road to self-discovery makes for a nice meditation on life and its peculiarities.