Written by Brennan
When I first heard about Spring Breakers I put it on my “never watch in a hundred years” list along with other gems like One Direction: This Is Us and The Smurfs 2. Why would I want to watch a bunch of Disney Channel teen stars go on spring break and be “bad girls”? Then I heard the movie was nominated for the Golden Lion at the Venice International Film Festival. Then after that some of my friends who love raunchy movies told me that they HATED it. This is when I knew there was something more to this movie, and that I ought to check it out.
To it’s core this movie is a Goodfellas-esque exposition of the alluring world of power, money, sex, and drugs. It starts with the main characters being drawn into what they believe to be REAL life, into what they believe will make them truly happy, and then we get to watch as they are sucked into the seedy underworld and eventually torn apart. Essentially it is a slightly ham-handed moral story for teenagers and young adults. For this reason, I believe that the misleading trailers and marketing were actually intentional. The creators of Spring Breakers allowed the movie to be marketed as a raunchy, fun, party movie because they wanted to make young adults witness the underside of the lifestyle that the youth idolize. This would explain casting decisions too. James Franco is a favorite of young adults, and the idea of Franco as a blinged-out rapper is a huge draw. Also, the two Disney Channel stars Selena Gomez and Vanessa Hudgens must have brought in big numbers of young fans.
There is a huge disconnect between the content and the tone of Spring Breakers. The screen is packed with beaches, beer, and bikinis, but underneath all of the ruckus and partying is a feeling of distance and sadness. Whenever things slow down for a minute and the characters are faced with a moment of silence you can feel the discomfort, the feeling that it’s still not enough. These moments are hastily pushed away by more yelling, drinking, and shenanigans. In this way Spring Breakers reminds me of John Cassavetes’ 1968 classic Faces, where the characters move from location to location, joking and shouting, scared that if they stop moving they will be faced with the emptiness inside. They must keep up the appearance of happiness in order to escape the reality of their hollow lives.
Overall, Spring Breakers is a solid movie. Some sequences fall flat, and the movie as a whole is not very fun or entertaining, but the themes are important and the film is well-made. I was impressed by the acting, especially by Selena Gomez’ performance. She is very convincing and natural as a pressured, guilty, trying-to-be-naughty-but-really-nice girl. I was most drawn to her character, as she is able to see more clearly the destructive path she and her friends were on. She returns home with a better idea of what will and will not bring real happiness. Spring Breakers is a Trojan horse; a cautionary tale disguised as a loud, flashy party.
Did you enjoy this review? Click here for more reviews by Brennan
