Release Date:
10/01/2004
Unless Monty Python's involved, we don't generally look to the movies for the meaning of life. But beneath all of the quirky characters and philosophical ramblings in I ¿ Huckabees, there lies a dark comedy that'd have Buddha clutching his belly in delight. The madness begins when raging environmentalist Albert (Jason Schwartzman) enlists a married duo of existential detectives (Dustin Hoffman and Lily Tomlin) to help him with his anger at colleague Brad (Jude Law). A series of ridiculous events pairs him with his platonic soul mate and fellow client, Tommy (Mark Wahlberg), while Brad grapples with his image-obsessed spokesmodel girlfriend (Naomi Watts). Huckabees opens to total chaos, with characters braying their opinions on socialism, suburban sprawl, and petrol against a backdrop of disjointed plotlines. But instead of buckling under all the blustering, the story comes together under creative direction—including Law breast-feeding Schwarztman, Shania Twain handing out beat-downs in a brief cameo, and the muddiest doggy-style sex scene in mainstream cinema. It's less "ha-ha" funny and more "senile grandma" funny, but this soul-searching beats the crap out of reading Nietzsche, and you'll exit feeling enlightened. (Or at least aroused.)