Life is what you make it. It is one of those phrases which seems to have lost its power and doesn’t mean much anymore, but as Springbreakers shows, it still holds true. When a couple of teenage girls decide that they all want to head to Florida to party during spring break, they are willing to do anything to make sure that they have the money to go there. They want to escape their everyday existence, which has become boring to them. They rob a restaurant and head over to Florida to party and live out their dream, which eventually involves gangsters, guns and drugs.
To me the movie is about the choices you make in your life. Why do some people decide to get wasted on either drugs or alcohol (or both), while others don’t need them to get the same thrills? When the girls are preparing the robbery they are telling each other that the have to be hard, just like in a movie. They have to shut off their emotions and just do it and it is that role they keep playing when they are in Florida, even when the stakes are higher. They seem to get a high out of doing things they are not supposed to do and never take a step back to see what they are doing. Their extreme partying starts to become normal for them so they have to search for something else even if that means they could lose everything. It is easy to get lost in this high adrenaline world filled with guns and drugs and as a viewer makes you wish they’d look for drug detoxification in FL. The only person who does take a step back is Faith (Selena Gomez), a deeply religious girl. It made me think if she represents specific norms and values we should return to, because else we run the risk of running out of control.
The big draw for many will be the main stars, Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Benson and Rachel Korine, who became famous with their “family values” image. This movie shatters that image and adds to the shock value the movie has. It has nudity, drugs and guns and almost glamorizes it, but because the movie repeats a lot of things they end up feeling empty and meaningless, which I thought was an impressive thing to portray. Are all these things really worth taking risks over? The actresses have some memorable moments (when they are singing a Britney Spears song or re-enact the robbery, but it is James Franco as rapper/gangster who steals the show. His character is one you will remember for his crazy style, speech and lifestyle. Springbreakers isn’t a movie everyone will be able to enjoy, partly because the visuals are also very different, but it is a movie that can make you think about its message and I’m sure that message isn’t the same for every person watching it.
Definitely want to see this – have been a Korine fan for awhile now. 🙂
I’m sure you will enjoy it then. Interested about your thoughts on it.
Good Review! I quite liked it too. This is the new generation. Depressing….lol
Well, I think generations are not that different from each other. It’s just when you get older you are shocked by what “kids do these days” 😉
When I saw the trailer for this I immediately wrote it off as complete trash but I actually wouldn’t mind checking it out now. Nice review Nostra.
I never watch trailers and when I saw who was in the movie I wasn’t really interested in seeing it. So when the trailer came up during a cinema visit I decided to watch it and based on that I thought it might be a good movie and I was happy it was.
Like Chris, I assumed the movie would be absolutely awful by the trailers, but I’ve heard plenty of positive reviews. I should check this out. Nice review.
Yeah, it really is worth checking out!
Well, I’m just going to see it because I’m curious. But doesn’t seem the type of movie I’ll love. But who knows.
Give it a chance Andina. I hope you’ll like it and I’m sure I’ll be able to read about your thoughts on it.
Missed this one at the cinema. Will have to grab it on DVD. I’ve seen mixed reviews for it, but something tells me I’ll probably enjoy this one, and not just for the chicks in bikinis. Even if I think it turns out to be a failure, it’ll probably be an interesting failure, if that makes sense!
And your review praises Franco’s oddball performance. Even the bad reviews do that. So it should be worth watching just for him.
Yeah, it’s worth it just for Franco alone, but it is possible to get more out of it! I liked this movie, it’s different (you might even call it experimental).
This is a movie I am torn by. This is a movie that seems to look down on this lifestyle but at the same time it embraces it too. James Franco should be nominated for an Oscar but he won’t be. His performance is better than the whole movie. I almost wished Mr. Korine would have a co director to keep the pace of the story moving. Good review
I can understand that feeling, the movie is unconventional and that makes it difficult to judge. I don’t think Franco will be nominated either.
Thanks!
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