Charlie Kaufman

I love Charlie Kaufman. He is responsible for my favorite movie. I think he is easily one of the best big screen writers ever. He might even go down as one of the greatest writers ever when everything is said and done. However, I have to say that his new film left me feeling over whelmed and under whelmed simulataniously. I am not actually sure if that's possible mind you, but it is the only way I know how to sum up how the film left me feeling.

Synecdoche, New York is an amazingly ambitious film, and is hands down the single most meta film I have ever come across*. The film was incredibly hard to follow, and had that trade mark Kaufman style of everything is now and nothing is now at the same time. The passage of time was very hard to follow. Normally I like this kind of thing, but this time it just seemed to drag, and at times bore me a little bit.

Part of me feels that Kaufman should always just get Spike Jones or Michel Gondry to direct all of his films. I agree with what Kurt Loader has to say on the outcome of Kaufman's directorial debut, "The result is a picture that is (a) brilliant, in scattered parts, but also (b) a reminder that virtually every writer needs an editor."

I suppose I could have saved some time and simply written this, "Everyone should see Synecdoche, New York once, and once only. It is a film of true beauty and ambition, that never ever (under any circumstances) needs to be seen again. It wholly depressing and bleak, and leaves you feeling numb."


*I am not all that into uber meta films. I am sure more meta films exist. I am also sure that I don't want to see them