The plot of this movie revolves around a rather unsympathetic character named Roger Greenberg, babysitting for six weeks his brother's house and dog in LA. Roger grew up in California but moved to NY, presumably some 15 years earlier, after splitting with his rock band.
His life does not seem a success, but neither seems the lives of his friends who stayed behind in LA. In fact, pretty much everybody in this movie seems a bit dissatisfied and going through some sort of crisis. Maybe because "life is wasted on people"? as Greenberg says referring to the famous quote "youth is wasted on the young".
Greenberg maybe a looser, but his middle-aged friends, with their broken relationships, their rehab problems and their bothersome children, hardly seem winners. Neither the young are spared. His brother's assistant, a 20-something young woman, looks completely clueless and totally unassertive, as far as her own life is concerned. She may be kind and loving towards children and dogs, but she acts as a doormat when it comes to relationships. Maybe because she just wants to be loved, even if only by somebody as unappealing as Greenberg.
The other youngsters featured in the film look like a bunch of spoiled, selfish brats, too ignorant and stupid to understand or care about anything except themselves. This is a rather realistic take on youth, and so are the sex scenes, filmed with almost painful realism, with strangers hardly knowing each other sharing awkward moments of intimacy. In short, nothing glamorous or fake in this movie.
Ben Stiller is great playing Greenberg. He may seem uncaring and indifferent, even cruel towards his friends, but at times it is difficult at not to identify with with him. Who was not bullied and mistreat by faceless government and corporations? He is angry because the world we live in does not make much sense, because the way we lead our lives is increasingly neurotic, because there seem to be less and less hope in the future.
Finally, this is not the typical Hollywood story about beautiful people living in LA, getting rich and famous without selling their souls. It is a movie about what the "real" LA might be. I am sure a largest part of the public will not "get" this movie, because there is not much action, violence, or witty conversation – too bad for them. "Good movies are wasted on most viewers" .. give them "Pretty woman" any time, and they will cheer at the cheesiness of dull fairy tales.
His life does not seem a success, but neither seems the lives of his friends who stayed behind in LA. In fact, pretty much everybody in this movie seems a bit dissatisfied and going through some sort of crisis. Maybe because "life is wasted on people"? as Greenberg says referring to the famous quote "youth is wasted on the young".
Greenberg maybe a looser, but his middle-aged friends, with their broken relationships, their rehab problems and their bothersome children, hardly seem winners. Neither the young are spared. His brother's assistant, a 20-something young woman, looks completely clueless and totally unassertive, as far as her own life is concerned. She may be kind and loving towards children and dogs, but she acts as a doormat when it comes to relationships. Maybe because she just wants to be loved, even if only by somebody as unappealing as Greenberg.
The other youngsters featured in the film look like a bunch of spoiled, selfish brats, too ignorant and stupid to understand or care about anything except themselves. This is a rather realistic take on youth, and so are the sex scenes, filmed with almost painful realism, with strangers hardly knowing each other sharing awkward moments of intimacy. In short, nothing glamorous or fake in this movie.
Ben Stiller is great playing Greenberg. He may seem uncaring and indifferent, even cruel towards his friends, but at times it is difficult at not to identify with with him. Who was not bullied and mistreat by faceless government and corporations? He is angry because the world we live in does not make much sense, because the way we lead our lives is increasingly neurotic, because there seem to be less and less hope in the future.
Finally, this is not the typical Hollywood story about beautiful people living in LA, getting rich and famous without selling their souls. It is a movie about what the "real" LA might be. I am sure a largest part of the public will not "get" this movie, because there is not much action, violence, or witty conversation – too bad for them. "Good movies are wasted on most viewers" .. give them "Pretty woman" any time, and they will cheer at the cheesiness of dull fairy tales.