I Heart Huckabees *** (2004, Jason Schwartzman, Jude Law, Naomi Watts, Dustin Hoffman, Lily Tomlin, Isabelle Huppert, Mark Wahlberg) – Classic Movie Review 1661

Jason Schwartzman stars as Albert Markovski, an isolated conservationist, activist and poet who hires husband-and-wife team of existential detectives Bernard and Vivian (Dustin Hoffman and Lily Tomlin) to get him back on the rails in director David O Russell’s clever and imaginative if not especially laugh-out-loud funny 2004 wacky US indie comedy.

Albert is simply determined to solve the coincidence of seeing the same conspicuous stranger three times in a day. The detectives agree to study his case by spying on his everyday activities and getting into his psyche, while sharing their views on life and the nature of the universe.  Trying to help Albert seek answers to his profound questions, Bernard and Vivian join Albert with a disillusioned firefighter named Tommy Corn (Mark Wahlberg), who seeks answers to the same questions on life.

The busy playing from the brilliant star cast, David O Russell and Jeff Baena’s witty screenplay and the heady air of offbeat originality are very considerable assets. Jude Law, Naomi Watts and Isabelle Huppert also star, with Huppert playing an ‘existential expert’ called Caterine Vauban.

Jeff Baena wrote and directed Life After Beth in 2014, with Dane DeHaan. David O Russell is known for Spanking the Monkey (1994), Flirting with Disaster (1996), Three Kings (1999), Silver Linings Playbook (2012) and American Hustle (2013).

© Derek Winnert 2014 Classic Movie Review 1661

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