Popcorn, Soda, and Goobers - Movie and DVD Reviews and Film Commentary

Wristcutters (imdb | dvd | book)

Okay, I admit I may have stole the quirky title from their official tagline. But, I can’t think of any other one-liner which sums up the movie better. Wristcutters is a dark comedy about a strange afterlife made for people who kill themselves. It’s based on the short story, “Kneller’s Happy Campers,” by Etgar Keret. It debuted at Sundance in 2006 and had a limited theatrical release in November of 2007. Luckily, for those of you who missed it, it is premiering on DVD today, March 25.

The movie follows the story of Zia (Patrick Fugit), a college kid who commits suicide after breaking up with his girlfriend. Little does he know, the afterlife for people who commit suicide is really just a strange version of reality that’s just a bit worse than real life. Things are older, duller, and everything including the people seems a little bit broken. Zia makes friends with Eugene (Shea Whigham), a rocker who killed himself by pouring a beer on his guitar, and they waste away their days in purgatory until one day Zia learns that his ex-girlfriend committed suicide as well and is somewhere in the afterlife. Zia and Eugene set off on a roadtrip to find her and meet up with a hitchhiker, Mikhal (Shannyn Sossamon). Mikhal is intent on finding “the people in charge” as she believe she’s been sent to this afterlife by mistake. Together, the three journey into the vast wasteland around them meeting various new characters and discovering sides of themselves that they never knew existed.

While Wristcutters is billed as a comedy, it is definitely not a laugh out loud riot and you shouldn’t go in expecting it. The humor is portrayed through deadpan dialogue and on screen gaffes similar in some ways to a Wes Anderson movie. For example, all the characters who populate Zia’s afterlife carry marks of how they killed themselves when in the real world. In another example, we see that Zia works at Kamikaze Pizza and that Eugene has an affinity for Dead Guy Ale. The movie even takes some time to poke fun at the “black hole” under your car seat. You know, that area where you never seem to be able to find anything that you dropped?

Thankfully, quirkiness and on-screen gaffes is not all this movie offers (which can’t quite be said of some Wes Anderson movies). The movie provides a wonderfully simple story that, despite the dark setting, is truly optimistic about life itself. The three main characters are funny, deep, and well-explored and the movie is shot beautifully lending a whimsical air to the viewing experience. The concept is unique and refreshing and you really have to see it to appreciate it. If you liked Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind or Little Miss Sunshine then this is a must watch.

4 out of 5 slices of Kamikaze Pizza