DVD Review: The Crystal Fairy

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& the Magical Cactus and 2012
 
Apparently the title of this film got longer after it was released on DVD? Anyways..
 
Michael Cera's 2nd feature with director Sesbastian Silva is certainly interesting. (Their other is the far better Magic Magic) The IMDb trivia says they filmed this while waiting for Magic Magic to get financed. I can tell.
 
Jaime (Michael Cera) is an American student traveling through Chile. While on the hunt for some drugs with his buddies, he runs into the enigmatic Crystal Fairy. (Gaby Hoffmann) They don't exactly hit it off. But after eating some "magical cactus" they go on a journey that changes Jaime's tune all together.
 
This movie was fucking weird. That's the best way to describe it. It had no structure. There's movies like Uncertainty where 90% of the film is adlibbed and the actors do wonders with it, this film was apparently shot the same way, only it doesn't benefit from it. Parts are certainly amusing, and Gaby Hoffmann actually gives a great performance. (Though her character's excessive nudity was a little much. I thought it fit at the beginning, but then it got old.) It's nice to see Cera play kind of a prick after seeing how awesomely prickish he was in This Is The End.
 
Recommended: No
 
Grade: C
 
Memorable Quote: "She's embarrassing herself.." - Jaime (Michael Cera)

Comments

  1. m.brownDecember 23, 2013 at 1:12 AM

    Okay, before I even finished reading this, I googled Gaby Hoffman to see if this was a must-see...you know, for artistic reasons. But I'm pretty sure I don't want to see the girl from Uncle Buck naked.
    In fact, I'm very sure.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sarah WJanuary 20, 2014 at 6:57 PM

    This movie sounds odd enough that I just might want to see it, but I don't like Michael Cera much. I think he's a one-note actor. Have you seen any roles that have suggested that Cera is actually going somewhere other than playing a wooden gormless teenager with a quirky love interest?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamJanuary 21, 2014 at 3:16 PM

      He's good in Magic Magic, which is by the same director that did Crystal Fairy. His role is smaller, but it's different. I actually liked Magic Magic a lot. I'm a big fan of Emily Browning and Juno Temple.

      Delete

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