Short Cuts (The Criterion Collection)
by Robert Altman, John Dorr, Mike Kaplan
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Andie MacDowell, Fred Ward, Julianne Moore, Robert Altman, Tim RobbinsDirector: John Dorr, Mike Kaplan, Robert Altman
Brand: Image Entertainment
Writer: Robert Altman
Writer: Frank Barhydt
Writer: Raymond Carver
Producer: Cary Brokaw
Producer: David Levy
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: Spanish (Unknown); English (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Special Edition, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 183 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-11-16
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Criterion
Movie Reviews of Short Cuts (The Criterion Collection)
Movie Review: This is life...
Summary: 5 Stars
One of the greatest compliments you can give to any film done by Robert Altman is that they perfectly represent real life. Nothing about his films are glossed up as is the fashion of almost anything in Hollywood. Every frame and every character has this rich sense of humanity and raw realness that drips from their every move. Even when the situations are less than normal the human reactions to them are so natural that one can't help but relate. `Short Cuts' has been lauded as Altman's finest work, and even though I can't say that I have seen everything he's done I can honestly say that of what I have seen `Short Cuts' is by far the grandest. Every single frame is flawlessly constructed and leads beautifully right into the next.
That's actually in all probability the greatest compliment you can give to any director.
`Short Cuts' intersects between the lives of about eight families, all who live within the same town and all who are connected in one way or another. Each family and their personal lives are exposed with such blunt realism that it never really feels like we're watching a movie but more like we are sitting in their living room watching them simply live. When Julianne Moore's character Marian stands in her living room without any pants or even underpants on and yells at her husband for quite some time we get a glimpse of acting without restraint, acting without boundaries; in other words we get to see these actors transcend the chains of `acting' and we watch them become their characters. These actors are so comfortable within the realms of their performances that they come off as normal everyday people going about their normal everyday lives. There is not a single hint of discomfort or hesitation.
The families who we are introduced to all have their own set of very unique problems. Marian and Ralph Wyman are struggling to stay interested with each other. They find themselves quarreling over just about anything, yet neither of them can seem to pinpoint where it all went wrong. Claire and Stuart Kane meet the Wyman's at a concert and instantly strike an acquaintance that turns into an obligatory dinner invite that both couples (at least both husbands) begin to dread. Claire Kane finds herself being pulled over by Officer Gene Shepard, who proceeds to ask her out. Gene is married (unhappily) to Sherri who happens to be Marian's sister. Gene is also dating Betty Weathers who is separated from her possessive husband Stormy. Then you have Ann and Howard Finnigan who find themselves in a horrific situation when their young son is hit by a car on his way home from school. The woman who hit their son is Doreen Piggot. Doreen finds herself questioning her life choices after she nearly kills this young boy and she confides her feelings to her daughter Honey. Honey is married to Bill, who happens to be best friends with Jerry Kaiser who cleans the Finnigan's pool.
Add to this already elaborate mosaic a murdered young woman and the apathetic reaction from the men who find her and you have one of the most alarming and unsettling character studies in recent memory.
But, like I mentioned, it's the realistic approach taken by the actors that really elevates this film. To discuss every performance would really be tiresome to the reader, not to mention to myself, but there are a few standouts that I think deserve special mention. Fred Ward, who plays Stuart Kane, shows plenty of depth in character, especially when he and some fishing buddies find the murdered young woman. His reaction not only to the discovery but also to his wife's reaction to his insensitivity radiates through the screen. Both Bruce Davison and Andie MacDowell are amazing as the Finnigan parents. There situation is the most unnerving and heartbreaking and so we are instantly drawn to them but the way each actor handles their characters with realism is beyond words; especially MacDowell who slowly unravels before our eyes. As good as they are, Jack Lemmon is even better. Lemmon plays Howard's estranged father who hears of the accident and decides to drop by the hospital to get reacquainted. He speaks volumes with his eyes and movements and overall approach that I was moved to tears.
`Short Cuts' truly changed my mind about a certain actress that I find myself putting down quite a bit; Julianne Moore. Her riveting portrayal of Marian Wyman is so natural and so real that I am quick to label it best in show. I have always found Moore to be a very mannered actress, one who always appears to be acting. This works in her favor in films like `Far From Heaven', but in most of her work I think it works against her. Here she has cast aside all of those mannerisms and acts splendidly natural, so much so that I couldn't believe she was the same actress I had seen so many times before.
The rest of the cast is amazing as well, from Lilly Tomlin to Chris Penn to Jennifer Jason Leigh and Tim Robbins and Lili Taylor and Madeleine Stowe and Robert Downey Jr. and Frances McDormand and even Peter Gallagher (although his character repulsed me). Lyle Lovett has a controversial role in the film, and Annie Ross and Lori Singer play mother and daughter musicians (mother sings, daughter plays cello) who have a very stirring and emotionally complicated sub-plot (the only story arc of Altman's own imagination; not drawing any inspiration from Raymond Carver's short stories).
In closing I feel compelled to implore you to watch this movie as soon as you can, if you have not already. There are few films that paint life so realistically, without sugar coating and without dramatic reinterpretation. Everything presented in `Short Cuts' is `as is' so-to-speak, reaching further into our hearts and souls because every word spoken and every action taken is as if we ourselves had spoken or taken them. `Short Cuts' is a story about life told as if it had really been lived.
Summary of Short Cuts (The Criterion Collection)
The work of two great American artists merge in Short Cuts, maverick director Robert Altman?s kaleidoscopic adaptation of the stories of renowned author Raymond Carver. Epic in scale yet meticulously observed, the film interweaves the stories of twenty-two characters struggling to find solace and meaning in contemporary Los Angeles. The extraordinary ensemble cast includes Tim Robbins, Julianne Moore, Robert Downey, Jr., Jack Lemmon, and Jennifer Jason Leigh?all giving fearless performances in one of Altman?s most compassionate creations.If aliens came down to earth to see if humanity was worth saving, showing them Short Cuts, Robert Altman's bluesy riff on life in L.A. in the '90s, would not be a good idea. Based on the stories of Raymond Carver (adapted by Altman and Frank Barhydt), this ambitious film is a devilish valentine to living in L.A., where happiness comes at a premium. There are at least eight separate stories that crisscross, most about people who choose not to relate to the lives they are living. Seemingly by design, none of the stories (nor the performances for that matter) have more impact than the others--this is a true mosaic film. The most representative plot deals with a group of friends (Buck Henry, Fred Ward, and Huey Lewis) who decide to keep fishing even after discovering a body in the river. The story works as a morose comedy and a flag holder for the movie: the inability to take the correct action. Others would rather talk about seeing Alex Trebek than discuss their faltering relationships. A huge and talented cast twists in the wind, bumping into moments of truth, sex, and passion. Some even come out all right in the end. The accidental nature of life--a common theme in many Altman films--has never been so maddeningly persistent, or absorbing. The score by Mark Isham with songs sung by Annie Ross (also a cast member) fuels the moodiness, as does the opening number in which Medfly helicopters spray the town to the tune "Prisoner of Life." Delivering the film a year after his biggest hit in two decades, The Player, Altman proved his artistic tenacity as an aged artist with the heart of a new filmmaker: he's not afraid of risking it all. --Doug Thomas
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