I Heart Huckabees (2004) User Reviews (397)

A beautiful mess

[Derek237 · 8/10 · 5 January 2005]

There is only one word I can use to describe this "existensial comedy" by David O. Russell: insane. Here is a comedy with no real rules. A sense of brilliant madness lurks within every scene. Emotions run wild, actions are poorly motivated, people have no idea just what the hell they are doing! This is to be said about certain characters played by Jason Schwartzman, Jude Law, Mark Wahlberg, and Naomi Watts. These are characters who are in deep need of answers to their existence, and who are playing with ideas that they are not quite ready to tackle. But then you have Dustin Hoffman, Lily Tomlin, and Isabelle Huppert just kind of watching by the sidelines as the more experienced characters. By the end of the movie I couldn't help but think of how many other clients of theirs went through similar conflicts. That's the ultimate punchline. What a delight I Heart Huckabees is!

This is in no way at all your average comedy. Many philosophical theories are brought up throughout the film, but it's all done in a "fun" way. The film doesn't follow and preach any of the theories, only its characters do. I thought that was important because, well, that's what makes it so funny. It does not take itself seriously.

The acting is very...interesting. You have the younger actors like Wahlberg and Schwartzman really, really trying hard in hilariously over-the-top performances. To the exact opposite of that, you have Hoffman and Tomlin who don't even really try that hard at all. They don't have to. They're pros- actor wise and character wise. This imbalance in mood just adds and adds to the overflowing madness of I Heart Huckabees.

There is a lot of things wrong with the movie that seem to make it funnier and all the more enjoyable to watch. I had a smile on my face through the whole thing. I Heart Huckabees is indeed an acquired taste. People will love it, people will hate it, people will be totally indifferent to it, but I have no doubt that it will find its following.

My rating: 8/10

Muddled Mess Worth Seeing

[howardchelin · 7/10 · 21 August 2021]

One of the best messed up movies ever. Paradoxically uneven, lame , funny and poignant at various times throughout the entire movie, it is still worth seeing. Boasting an eclectic all star cast who at times make it hard to tell if they are playing it straight or parodying life, it raises existential questions about life that are common to us all.

Existing and all that

[kosmasp · 8/10 · 25 July 2014]

This right here is a very weird movie. And "Three Kings" (previous movie by the same director) does not prepare you for what you're about to see. A movie that tries to handle our being/existing in this world and especially tries to creep into a mind of someone who tries to uncover the "meaning" of .. well everything.

Does it succeed? It does succeed in being weird and awkward that is for sure. It has the right actors to give it that special vibe too. Dustin Hoffman could sell you that sheet (and the idea of all being one and the same more or less), even Mark Wahlberg (also seen in Three Kings) can handle the craziness with ease. It's Schwartzmanns movie though and he runs with the wild ideas of the script. Will this movie give you answers to possible questions you had? No. Will it be able to entertain you? Depends on your mood and expectations

Being (silly) and nothingness...

[majikstl · 22 November 2004]

Giving credence to the phrase "everything old is new again." I HEART HUCKABEES is a pleasing throwback to the 1960's. Not unlike Mike Myers's pop-edelic Austin Powers sagas, HUCKABEES is as much a taste of nostalgia as it is a pleasurable respite from the blood-soaked Quentin Tarantino legacy of the 1990's (which fittingly enough is little more than a dirtied up version of the tough-guy B-movies of the 1950's).

At any rate, HUCKABEES is a clear descendant of films like MORGAN!, LORD LOVE A DUCK, YOU'RE A BIG BOY NOW, HAROLD AND MAUDE, not to mention THE GRADUATE and a variety of other films that feature disillusioned young men trying to find meaning to life and purpose in existence in a world of absurdity. Not surprisingly, I suppose, once again America is in a troubled war, political protest is almost tiresomely routine and society is defined by extreme political, social and ethical differences. At a time when we are bombarded from an untold number of sources about how we should talk, think and act (left-wing politically correct conformity strangely mirroring the right-wing cold war conformity of the 1950's), HUCKABEES turns to a radically old-fashioned concept: Go figure it out for yourself.

In a press release for HUCKABEES, director David O. Russell writes "Philosophy interests me only insofar as it is practical and makes people feel more alive and open -- not closed." As such HUCKABEES doesn't seem so much aimed at presenting Russell's personal philosophy so much as musing over some of the possibilities. The film revolves around Albert Markovski (played by Jason Schwartzman, as sort of Russell's surrogate), a not-particularly-successful environmentalist. Albert has a rivalry with/ friendship to /hatred of /crush on Brad Strand (Jude Law), a corporate cog who works for Huckabees, a Wal-Mart-like chain wanting to place a new store on a plot of landscape that Albert is doing a rather poor job of protecting. For different reasons, they both turn to "existential detectives" Bernard and Vivian Jaffe, (Dustin Hoffman and Lily Tomlin), who presumably investigate/stalk their clients to figure out what makes them tick. Basically, Bernard and Vivian are a conscience for hire. Hot on Bernard and Vivian's heels is Caterine Vauban (Isabell Huppert), an ex-pupil turned rival, who is bent on spreading the word that life is meaningless and valueless.

In battling for Albert's psyche, if not his soul, the two factions offer conflicting views of the world. Bernard argues that life is a blanket, one interconnecting fabric of existence where all things are related. Caterine offers a world of random chaos where values are arbitrary. Being versus nothingness. Responsibility versus indifference. Hope versus despair. Light versus dark. Good versus evil.

As philosophy, it is probably pretty simplistic, but philosophy isn't the point so much as the absurdity of life which makes it so difficult to keep one's bearings. If Albert (and Russell) never quite cut through the chaos and ultimately only find peace through compromise, that is probably the best anyone can really hope for. But like any movie (or mystery or therapy) the ending is possibly not necessarily as important as the journey getting there. Which is a good thing for HUCKABEES because the film gradually peters out, but it is an unpredictable ride, shared with oddball characters, while it lasts.

And it is something of a sentimental journey. I doubt it is entirely a coincidence that Schartzman bears more than a passing resemblance to a youthful Hoffman (in a Beatles' haircut, no less), whose performance in THE GRADUATE will forever grant him iconic status as a symbol of the 1960's. HUCKABEES echoes many of the themes from that 1968 landmark film: the questioning of prevailing values, battling consumerism, searching for identity and, last but not least, seduction by an older woman.

Though not entirely successful, there is something just so wonderfully refreshing about I HEART HUCKABEES. It is a film that tries to be about ideas, without being self-consciously pretentious, like Woody Allen. It flirts with the sweetness of a Spielberg film, but in the humanistic style of a Robert Altman, but without his souring streak of cynicism. But most of all it stays miles away from the cold-blooded nihilism of Scorsese, Tarantino and the bunch. This is a film without villains, only comrades who, to one degree or another, are searching for peace of mind.

"Heart" For the Brain

[EmperorNortonII · 7/10 · 18 November 2004]

Not a lot of movies tackle the subject of philosophy. The latest to join that few is "I Heart Huckabees." It's a surreal story about an environmental activist who employs the services of an "existential detective" agency. This story may go over the heads of some viewers, with its deep conversations and strange imagery. There are a lot of interesting characters, like Jason Schwartzman's activist Albert; Dustin Hoffman and Lily Tomlin as the unconventional sleuths; Mark Wahlberg as Tommy, a fireman with an anti-petroleum obsession; Jude Law as Brad, the Huckabee's corporate stuffed shirt, and Naomi Watts as Dawn, the neurotic spokesmodel. Does this movie answer questions, or create them? See it for yourself. It'll really make you think!

"How am I not myself?"

[ilovedolby · 10/10 · 7 November 2004]

One of the biggest influences for the ideas presented in David O. Russell's 'I Heart Huckabees' was 9/11. He is quoted as saying in Film Comment Magazine, 'For about two months after 9/11, people were asking really profound questions about reality and existence-and then it was back to business as usual.' Indeed this seems to be the case whenever bad things seem to happen in life as people search for the reasoning behind the events and for a meaning to their own existence. Disillusionment often takes place for many affected by tragedy, as has happened to the characters in 'I Heart Huckabees.' From an activist fighting urban sprawl to a firefighter blaming the worlds ills on petroleum hungry nations, 'I Heart Huckabees' presents profound questions about existence with a unique comic approach.

After seeking the reasoning behind a coincidental meeting, Albert (Jason Schwartzman), an activist/poet, seeks the help of some existential detectives, Bernard and Vivian (Dustin Hoffman and Lily Tomlin). They agree to study his case by spying on his every day activity and getting into his psyche. In an attempt to help Albert seek answers to his profound questions, Bernard and Vivian join Albert with a disillusioned firefighter named Tommy (Mark Whalberg) who seeks answers to the same questions on life. However, Tommy has a strong bias that all the world's problems result from the exploitation of petroleum. During their investigation into Albert's life, Bernard and Vivian realize that Albert's problems often stem from his struggle to fight the Huckabees Corporation from building on the lands Albert tries in vain to protect- particularly with a corporate salesman named Brad (Jude Law). As Bernard and Vivian further investigate, they realize that Brad and his girlfriend Dawn (Naomi Watts), the sexy image behind Huckabees advertising, have a few of their own existential problems to deal with. Especially Dawn who is completely disillusioned by her own beautiful image, as well as Brad's phony persona. Two schools of thought come into play. One, Bernard and Vivian's viewpoint that everything is connected and the world is not a negative place, but chooses not to deal with its problems. On the other hand, Tommy believes in the viewpoints of a French author named Caterine Vauban (Isabell Huppert) who says that the world is simply a mess, pain and anger are present and the only way to deal with it is to just except it. So who is right and who is wrong? The film's message is that neither is truly wrong or right, but the two must meet somewhere in the middle. What's more, perceptions have an important role in this film. Life is often what you make it. A person can be a phony individual and simply jump on the bandwagon of what is popular to seek approval and acceptance. Or, they could ask themselves if they really believe in certain viewpoints and question the right and wrong that exists in our complex, modern world.

At first glance, with the film's slapstick, yet witty intellectual dialogue combined with unique visuals, it would seem that this is the product of Charlie Kaufman. But Russell's ideas are undeniably his own and have been pondered upon in his mind for years. The director of the Gulf-War drama/comedy, 'Three Kings,' and 'Flirting with Disaster' has made one of 2004s best films. 'I Heart Huckabees' is filled with three-dimensional characters and crisp-sounding dialogue that will leave you chuckling hours after seeing the film. Most importantly, it has ideas that most Hollywood executives fear to take on because of our very conventional societal viewpoints. ****

Loony, absurd, and one of a kind

[wavecat13 · 7/10 · 1 September 2021]

This is in no way a great comedy, but it deserves credit for sheer lunacy. Zany, eccentric, absurd, goofy - I could pile on the adjectives. It is completely sui generis, which is probably a good thing. It focuses on Jason Schwartzman, a young activist and department store marketer (or something like that), who approaches an existential detective agency for help in making sense of his life. He battles it out with his boss, sales executive Jude Law and, well, the madness just goes on and on.

Like art school in public

[charidea · 4/10 · 14 April 2005]

I often watch movies over several days. My first "session" with Huckabees was stimulating. I was fully prepared to embrace it as another "Coen-esque" film (the good Coens of "Lewbowski" not the bad Coens of "Intolerable Cruelty"), however by the end I was sorely disappointed. I applaud the attempts at creativity (the effort to introduce "philosophy" in a humorous way, especially setting up an enmity between Hollywood therapy-Buddhism-lite versus sexy French nihilism), but in the end I felt I was listening to a lecture by a very young person and I was afraid to leave the auditorium because her parents were there and I had previously said their child was a genius. This is a film by a young person who hasn't had much experience in life or relationships (but earnestly wants to), who wants to read philosophy (but doesn't have the time) and who admires edgy filmmakers (and thinks it would be easy to "make a film like that.") Some have called it a sad mess and I think I can go along with that. Flashes of brilliance are present but not sustained. Intruguingly contrarian political/ philosophical are flirted with then abandoned to "this is what they want to hear" positions (eg. like "let's all hate Wallmart, we can get behind that right, gang?") These writers and filmmakers should take a sabbatical and actually do something besides talk to each other in bars and wrangle funding from befuddled elders. It's like art school, only done with huge budgets and in public. Some things should be allowed to mature before they're shown the cruel light of day.

I loved it, but you probably won't

[buddy604 · 9/10 · 1 October 2005]

I have to agree with the reviewer who said this film will appeal to a very narrow audience.

If you are a philosophy major or just a major black-clad espresso drinker, you'll probably resent the movie for "dumbing down" existentialism. If you're a regular person looking for a regular comedy to enjoy, please, trust me, skip this film.

But if you're philosophically curious, acquainted with Camus, and like a little vertigo with your comedy, run, do not walk, and pick up this film. For that narrow group, and by no means are they an elite, this is the ultimate feel-good film.

Not relevant or important or entertaining

[Shiloh-3 · 6/10 · 2 May 2005]

I get the existential part but choose to get over it. I am not really gung-ho about the meaning and purpose of life; I simply choose to live it. This film has no living in it; everyone is so busy questioning that no one is out there trying to make the difference they all seem to yearn for. I can see that as the humor side of this film, but I do not care enough for the premise to think it worth the bother. Existential thought is valid as any thought is but I choose to get over it, so this film is non-essential and vapid. If I choose to sail the ocean I do not wonder about the makeup of the water or why the wind blows and the storms come or why a boat floats. I am there, I adapt and I make the sailing the point and not the environment I sail in. Just a choice I make. This film was a waste of time for me.

Mindless, pretentious, foolish dribble

[Gladman · 1/10 · 24 March 2006]

It's always a risk watching off-beat movies, so I usually stop here to get a heads-up on the rating.

How this movie averaged over 4 is mysterious to me. Perhaps there was some secret meaning I missed, but believe me, I worked hard at this movie trying to figure out what, if anything, was happening.

Clearly, nothing was happening. It was like a bad dream, a series of images and words that make no sense once you regain consciousness.

I won't go into the plot, since there was none, but suffice it to say that if you awaken halfway through the movie, like I did, calm yourself and let the whirr of the DVD player put you back to sleep.

You won't have missed a thing.

A Existential Trip Through Life

[iainwatson · 9/10 · 17 April 2005]

Albert Markovski (Jason Schwartzman - Rushmore) is an urban guerrilla. A freedom fighter against Urban Sprawl and Corporate-sponsored Over-Development. At least this is how he likes to think of himself. In reality he's a self-obsessed insecure neurotic, and his environmental action group 'Open Spaces' is having little success in the face of their nemesis, the Huckabees corporation. That is until Brad Stand (Jude Law) steps in. As the caring face of Huckabees he sets up a co-operative group with 'Open Spaces' and shows that corporate entities and environmental groups can work together for the good of the community.

Again, that's how Brad likes to think of his work but he's not a happy man. His mental wellbeing is unravelling, his home life is not good, and his work is beginning to suffer. His wife is Dawn Campbell (Naomi Watts - Mulholland Drive), she is the gorgeous face, body and voice of the Huckabees corporation. That is until she discovers that life is meaningless, we are all simply atoms caught up in a never-ending cycle, and identity is an illusion.

She discovers this through the work of Bernard (Dustin Hoffman) and Vivian (Lily Tomlin), a husband and wife existential detective agency. They are hired by Albert to investigate why he feels so empty in his life, and to answer his number one question - what is the meaning of life. They observe him 24 hours a day and investigate all other relationships in his life. This leads them to Dawn, who starts wearing dungarees and a babies bonnet after their "treatment".

Meanwhile Tommy Corn (Mark Wahlberg - Boogie Nights) is a client of Bernard's and Vivian's agency. He is going through a crisis. An ex-pupil of Bernard and Vivian's, a Russian Nihilist Existentialist called Caterine Vauban (Isabelle Huppert) has sent him her book, on why Nihilism holds the answers he seeks. He comes to believe this is correct and Bernard and Vivian believe he needs the help of an "existential partner" and introduces him to Albert. He try's to convince Albert Nihilism is the way forward, but Albert falls in love with Caterine and finds out it isn't.

Being billed as an "Existential Comedy" I've been meaning to see 'I Heart Huckabees since it was originally released about 6 months ago, but never got round to it. Totally kicking myself now cause it was absolutely superb. Awesome soundtrack, inventive and original cinematography, some amazing performances and most importantly a great story. Directed and co-written by David O. Russell (along with Jeff Baena) who last gave us 'Three Kings', the well-received anti-war comedy drama set in the first Iraq war. I personally didn't think 'Three Kings' lived up to the hype, an enjoyable film sure, but not particularly ground breaking or terribly thought provoking.

'I Heart Huckabees' blows 'Three Kings' away, the dialogue has so many levels it's hard to peel them away, but as Bernard teaches "it's all connected". The soundtrack is from the always-awesome Jon Brion who has given us the great music to some of the best films of recent years such as 'Magnolia', 'Punch Drunk Love' and 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'. The performances are powerhouses, Law and Watts both standing out as two of the finest young actors in the world today. Watts steals the show thought, surpassing her turn in one of my all-time faves, 'Mulholland Drive'. The film's main theme is one of anti-corporatism, but it isn't so pervasive as to effect the overall upbeat feeling of enlightenment and acceptance the film immerses us in.

The best part of the film for me was the inventive use of the visuals to perfectly illustrate scientific and philosophical ideas. It's pure eye candy, sections of the film peeling away, mixing with other areas of the screen to form new pictures, showing us how everything can be deconstructed. We are all the same. It's all just atoms, identity is an illusion, we are all connected.

'I Heart Huckabees' is released on DVD in the UK today.

my immediate reactions to one of the most off-beat, philosophical 'comedies' in some time

[Quinoa1984 · 6/10 · 6 November 2004]

David O. Russell is a gifted filmmaker, whose Three Kings has scenes that get better with each viewing. Now here's an original film of his, I Heart Huckabees, and after walking slowly out of the theater, I was partly bemused, partly intrigued, and knew that if anything else it had an appeal in being like no other film I had seen this year. Firstly, he has his ensemble put together, and it's surprising how they seem to go along knowing exactly what is going on with the story even if the audience might not. Jason Schwartzman's Adam is a kind of high-strung, well-meaning, but torn peace-nick who wants to figure out a strange coincidence involving a bell-hop. The existential detectives can help, perhaps, played with zeal and insane wit by Dustin Hoffman and Lily Tomlin. They, as I have figured out after thinking about it hard enough, are from one school of existentialism, who say that there is no need for people to feel in day-to-day life that they are alone. "Everything is connected," Hoffman's character says, and Russell illustrates this with surreal scenes involving multiple images of little squares and connectedness, as well as when Adam is plunged into a bag with only his thoughts in the dark.

He thinks he's finding security with this, and promise against fighting developers (i.e. Huckabbes, a mall chain) in tearing down some woods. When Mark Wahlberg's character Tommy enters the picture, things get interesting, as he finds the detectives aren't all they are cracked up to be. When he introduced him to an opposing (i.e. Sartre-type) French philosopher (Isabelle Huppert), the plot, or what can be made of it, thickens. His story is coincided with the funny and thoughtful take on a bull-sh*t artist, played by Jude Law, who wants to climb the corporate ladder with his girlfriend, played by Naomi Watts (the only performance that didn't work as well as some of the others). His is the right kind of side-note with Adam's storyline, as a direct counter to the values, and most of the cast (notably Law, Wahlberg, Huppert and Schwartzman) tend to bring out the points made with scenes that may be funnier than I think or maybe not funny at all.

Another commenter on this site referred to how Jean-Luc Godard might love this movie. To that I'm not sure- it does contain a lot of inspection via the plot into what it is that we tend do to with our lives, how our views might be contradictory, and how existentialism is more about realizing what it is you're doing than about 'free-will'. But would he find all of the underlying conventionality of the story unnerving? I don't doubt that I Heart Huckabees is a good film; I find it hard to see it as a great one as it really is an acquired taste. Two films came to mind as I left the theater, and even while I was viewing the film- Slacker and The Lady-killers (the Coen brothers' version). Both films have a kind of intense, unique take on the world, and along with that go the sense of humor. While Slacker is an existential take on a generation via one town, Lady-killers is a slapstick movie with an once-in-a-lifetime performance from Tom Hanks. I think the same problem I had with the Ladykillers was what I had with this film. Although I Heart Huckabees, as it is intended, gets laughs, it's not always from how Russell might want. As it is, like the two films I mentioned, a film he made as him being the audience, the humor is sometimes way over-the-top, and while smart in its un-real quality, isn't funny. Sometimes the subtle touches are even funnier, or when the little idiosyncrasies are revealed by Hoffman and Schwartzman.

Basically, if you don't like I Heart Huckabees, I don't think that's a bad thing. I can recommend it to anyone looking for a couple of hours into why things happen and who we are and so on, and then again I can't. It asks to be seen again sometime on a late night....

Existentialism for morons

[tamemlin · 1/10 · 1 April 2007]

I have seen probably 1000-1200 films in my life and I haven't hated a film more than this. Sure there are more inept films out there, "The Rollerblade Seven", for example, is genuinely the worst film ever made. But at least The Rollerblade Seven didn't think it was smarter than me. I Heart Huckabees is made by morons who think they're geniuses for morons who believe them. Watching this film is the cinematic equivalent to having someone come over to your house and poke you in the eye whilst reading a dreadful poem and then scoffing at you for not 'getting it'. If I ever see David O. Russell I swear to God I will make him reimburse me for inflicting this dreadful movie on me.

In closing: I no longer fear death, for I have experienced so much worse.

Bigger than Itself

[tedg · 28 July 2006]

I suppose the highest reach any artist can have is to create something so carefully placed and shaped that it grows into unknown, unseen corners of the word and absorbs things beyond the artist's reach. Such things — I would call this "real" art — must be a dream for many.

Film makes this harder in a way, because many of the conventions now demand that characters, if not situations, be "real" and that story arcs take predictable form.

So usually what screenwriters play with is the causal dynamics of the world. I only know well one other of Russell's films "Flirting," which seemed as though it was skirting too close to the edges of romantic comedy. That's the territory of Wes Anderson and not capable of doing more than amusing.

This is different, this. Sure, it has large character strokes that are comic, or seem so. But what it does is redefine the world in a way that clarifies and makes for that spongelike quality of real art.

The setup now is that most of the world is wrapped as a character, a large department store chain called Huckabees. The situation deals with folks who support and/or resist it in minor ways. The pretty "voice," the advertisements, the poems, a benefit show, these "folds" in the movie (each a small, similar movie) are played with in very clever ways.

Hoffman's character goes further to isolate the main character from the movie by putting him in a bad so he can get to his inner movie. Another character played by Markie Mark (amazingly well) has had his reality scrambled by 9-11. The two, later joined by the Huckabee's "voice," settle into a search for the form of movie for their lives.

Hoffman and Tomlin represent one cinematic philosophy. Isabelle Huppert — a sort of icon for new new wave European cinema — represents that notion of cinematic wrapping and competes with the "existential detectives," Hoffman and Tomlin for control over our three, four with Laws' character.

They represent that uniquely American notion of having a character in the story, usually a detective literally, that stands between the viewer and the story, in both, unraveling both. They "watch." The story itself isn't strong enough to sustain this fabricated notion, and resorts by the end more and more on simple comedy and strokes from romantic movies. It ends happily, it seems, which is a dangerous flaw.

This does well in its first half in giving us something that qualifies as worthwhile. I does, and I recommend it to you. Its more than mere quirky charm and you really might find your mind, even your soul being competed for.

The last part, all that business about Laws' character, was necessitated so that there would be a story, and actual story so we could justify continuing to watch. But the cost is too high because it negates the tone of the first part. Would Charlie Kaufmann have been clever enough to write his way out of the problem? You can spend the second half of this wondering how, and the first half getting yourself into this delicious dilemma.

Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.

Great characters, but the story gets jumbled up and confusing

[Cineman17 · 7/10 · 15 April 2012]

Like he did with The Fighter, David O. Russel brings true talent out of an amazing cast of actors. Jason Schwartzman played his part perfectly, as did Mark Wahlberg and Dustin Hoffman. Naomi Watts, Jude Law, Kevin Dunn, Lily Tomlin and Isabelle Huppart all play wonderful supporting parts. There is even a scene with Jonah Hill and Richard Jenkins that is absolutely hilarious.

This movie seriously had me laughing out loud at some parts, but at other times, it becomes hard to follow and pretentious. The film touches on some aspects of philosophy, but never really dives deep into them. This gives the audience a chance to reflect on what is being said and try to make sense of what the characters are doing. It is a cool film, but nothing really great stands out about it.

Overall I Heart Huckabees just manages to scratch surface of what could have been a truly great film, and instead ends up being just a pretty good film with some really really great parts.

Only for a select few

[inthelittleroom · 10/10 · 29 November 2004]

Wow. I left the theater at a loss for words. What the heck?

What I saw was one of the best movies this year. I don't even know where to begin in describing it. I laughed a lot at all the subtle humor and timing, and placement. The acting by the entire cast is spectacular.

This movie is not for all and probably only for a very small group of people because the elitist snobs will bash it for simplifying and "hollywood-izing" the philosophy too much, and the average joe will complain that its too weird and boring to understand.

The thing is with this movie, you will either get it or not. Simple as that. I definitely "got" it, and I'm grateful I did because it was an amazing trip.

A clever film that gets ahead of itself

[KnightsofNi11 · 7/10 · 8 July 2011]

Who knew that two things like existentialism and comedy could blend together and have such amusing results? What David O. Russell has done here with I Heart Huckabees is interesting to say the least. The film is about Albert Markovski, an eco-activist who hires existential detectives Bernard and Vivian to assess his life and help him figure out his own existential purpose in life. Along the way Albert meets an eccentric array of characters including Tommy, his existential "other," and Caterine, a French psychiatrist of sorts whose philosophies challenge those of Bernard and Vivian's. The film is very interesting to listen to and to watch, but in the end it is still difficult to assess what it all means.

I'll explain in further detail. I Heart Huckabees has a fast paced and very wordy script that doesn't leave much room for gaps in dialogue. The characters discuss philosophy and spiritual theory in all sorts of manners and plenty of different settings and environments, and also at a rapid pace. The film makes sense enough to follow the story, but things do tend to pile on each other and the film gets overwhelming while not actually feeling all that congested. To try to break down everything this film discusses might just be impossible unless you watch the film over and over again and keep detailed notes on ever lengthy conversation. But I will say that this is better than having a completely dead script that goes nowhere and has no ideas of its own. I Heart Huckabees is very thoughtful and it asks a lot of questions of itself, while not answering all of them completely. But I can say that this film has a script full of sharp wit and charming humor no matter how much it stacks onto its plate.

I Heart Huckabees also has a unique visual flare to it that makes it more than just a verbose discussion on existentialism. It has a number of scenes that depict the characters minds in a literal sense, editing together interesting segments where Albert will watch the characters in his life talk at him before he proceeds to cut them up with a machete as if they were cardboard cutouts. These are the kinds of scenes you have to see for yourself and they still won't make total sense but they'll mean a little more. I Heart Huckabees becomes its own visual metaphor at times and I can't quite decide if this helps it to make more sense or just makes it all the more bizarre. I'm not sure what all there is to understand about this movie, quite frankly, because of the mishmash presentation the films ideas are in.

Regardless, there is enough cohesiveness in the film to understand what is going on and it isn't terribly difficult to follow the philosophical trail which needs to be followed in order to get something out of the movie. I can piece together the film's basic existential meaning, but to bring in everything which the film presents into that explanation would be a challenge. But, at its core, I Heart Huckabees is a fun little film that is very original and lets you think a little broader for an hour and forty five minutes of your time. With a little more focus and a little more control this film could have been incredible but instead it is just something unique and fun. It's a harmless film that lets you experience something different.

Got it, Hated it

[joe_nelson · 1/10 · 24 May 2005]

The whole, "If you didn't like it you didn't get it" thing is so condescending. Especially for this movie which lacks any hint of subtly. To not get this movie is to not watch it…or even the first few scenes.

What was this film lacking? Talented actors, check Cinematography, check It must have been the directing, the writing or both.

Contrary to my expectations, this film struck me as complete bologna. From the opening scenes to the end, which I saw only out of a regrettable sense of obligation, I didn't believe a line, a block, a shot, or anything else. I felt insulted by its lack of subtlety and obvious, inartistic and sophomoric presentation of its theme. This is a horrible film. It makes a mockery of profound questions and important issues. This movie would be rad if you were ripped on a heavy hallucinogen (Oh man, dude, its like…the meaning of life n stuff ya know?). Otherwise, rent something else.

Watching this movie is like watching two, stupid, 12 year-old rich kids make a feeble attempt at having a conversation about the hardships of poverty. Unfortunately, some executive producer provided David O. Russell with the funds necessary to create a film about something which is, apparently, completely outside of his grasp.

What I am about to say is a stretch, a last desperate attempt to say something positive about a true terd. It may be possible… Maybe this film is a mockery of its subject, the cheesy "new-age" counseling movement. Maybe its trying to say that affluent Americans seek easy, self-centered, superficial, irrational and convenient answers to difficult questions. If this were the case, a potentially poignant statement was couched in an such blasé form? Nah, its just a bad film.

Dear God, my head hurts...

[kgb_888 · 9/10 · 6 June 2005]

This film was amazing. I'm still not sure if I've completely figured it out, but I thoroughly enjoy the attempt. The entire trip was something fully unexpected from the barrage of F-bombs that makes up the first five minutes to the alluded to (but nonetheless unexpected) cameo of Shania Twain. It's near impossible to explain what the film is actually about in this space, so you'll have to settle for this: The always hilarious Lily Tomlin and the wonderful Dustin Hoffman play a couple of "existential detectives" hired by Jason Schwartzman (in perhaps his best role) to investigate a series of "coincidences" involved a very tall African man. Schwartzman is the head of an environmentalist group trying to make a deal with the Huckabees department store to save a marsh (Jude Law plays the Huckabees exec and Naomi Watts his wife--a Huckabees commercial model). Mark Wahlberg shows one of his best performances thus far as a fireman who has also hired the "existential duo" for help with the Big Questions. Jon Brion provides yet another truly original score (not as eccentric and beautiful as Eternal Sunshine, but definitely more involved than Punch Drunk Love). In short, this film is a masterpiece for everyone involved.

revisiting Huckabees ten years later

[christopher-scott-maynar · 7/10 · 17 September 2014]

It had been ten years since I'd seen Huckabees and while the film hasn't changed my reaction to it certainly has. When I first saw the film I loved it. I loved how the message of the film was fairly simple but all the distracting double speak and psycho-babble made the film feel aloof and unapproachable. I was in my mid-twenties and I guess I was attracted to aloof and unapproachable. Now those same qualities in this particular context are somewhat annoying and feel pretentious for the sake of being pretentious. Not that this is bad movie by any stretch of the imagination but rather a movie made for a younger man by a younger man.

Albert (Schwartzman) is having an existential crisis and hires a pair of existential detectives (Hoffman and Tomlin) to solve a coincidence. The detectives decide to pair up Albert with his "other" Tommy (Whalberg), to help him with his case. Tommy is a militant environmentalist/firefighter who plays a perfect contrast to Albert.

The film has moments that are laugh out loud funny to why the hell would they do that disturbing. Most of the humor comes from how painful unaware the characters are of how they sound or appear and Mark Whalberg is especially gifted at saying imbecilic statements with pure conviction. I had forgotten how great he was in this movie. Most of the performances have a bit of a wink to them but not Whalberg, he plays the role completely straight and in turn steals scene after scene.

The film tells us that it is about nothingness vs meaning and the struggle between the two. Is everything connected and meaningful or is existence just chaos with no connections or meaning? This can be a frustrating subject to turn around in your mind while you explore your own existence and watching a film maker struggle with the same questions is twice as frustrating.

The moments of levity make the film easy to watch but the subject matter and tone didn't quite match up for me. With that being said I admire O Russell for making this film. It took guts to make such a unique film. While the film didn't hold up the way I expected I'm certainly glad it exists. I'm glad that I live in a world where thoughtful 20 somethings can discover this film and start to ask themselves the important questions.

www.followingfilms.com

I HATE Huckabees

[HPHPlayers · 1/10 · 12 October 2004]

Imagine Amelie as a UPN sitcom, that's how I felt watching "I (heart) Huckabees" a painfully unfunny film. A good cast and interesting themes are thrown away in this ugly movie, that has no respect for it's characters or the actors that play them. It is hard to make Lily Tomlin and Dustin Hoffman boring but this movie succeeds. I wouldn't be surprised to find out that the release of Alfie was delayed in hopes that academy voters (with their notoriously short attention spans) will forget Jude Law's misguided performance here when the wheels are set in motion to get him an Oscar. Jason Schwartzman fares better, he gives no performance at all, normally this is not a good thing in a movie, but in this case being just a void while everyone else looks like they're trying too hard, works in his favor. When ever he's on screen you know you can go out for popcorn and not miss anything. I had been warned but had to see for myself, don't make the same mistake, if you must see it wait for the DVD, the big screen only amplifies this movie's flaws.

B.Y.O.A (Bring Your Own Angst)

[clocksnmirrors · 10/10 · 2 July 2005]

It isn't often that a movie provokes thought as well as laughter, but "I Heart Huckabees" manages to hit both marks.

This movie is about the search for answers to questions that most of the characters don't seem to know they're asking. And their guides along the way, deftly portrayed by Hoffman, Tomlin and Huppert stir the pot of confusion in this boiling mess of angst, deception and discontent. And it's funny! While the performances by Schwartzman, Law and Wahlberg (sounds like a law firm) were wonderful and engaging, the real star of this movie is the writing. It's very thoughtful without being heavy-handed. And the humor manages to take material that usually comes across as pretentious and makes it palatable for common-folk like myself.

This is a great movie if you're in the mood to revive in your mind the ultimate questions "who are we?", "what are we?", "why are we?" At the age of 41 I'd pretty much put those questions to bed, but it was fun to wake that sleeping part of myself and ponder while having a lot of laughs along the way.

See this movie.

A Whodunit for the Existential Crowd

[Hitchcoc · 7/10 · 7 March 2006]

The whole premise of existential detectives is absolutely without peer. How many movies have there been about existential detectives? That said, I saw this movie over a year ago and parts of it are still stuck in my brain. The random actions, the angst, the crazy characters, and the effort to figure out their motives. Tomlin and Hoffmann lurk around. What are they looking for? What are they proving? How can you use rational judgment when you are dealing with the motivations of existential beings. Does it matter anyway. We determine our own ends and they are not happy ones. I don't know what happened, but it was fun. Or was it? I don't know!

Very exhausting, not really rewarding

[Superunknovvn · 5/10 · 31 March 2005]

It's hard to criticize a movie like "I Heart Huckabees". Obviously the makers were going for something different, something that's not necessarily for a mainstream audience and will probably get misunderstood by a lot of people. Something in the tradition of "Rushmore" and "Ghost World". Cool, I'm fine with that. The problem is, although "I Heart Huckabees" comes up with lots of weird, but intriguing dialog, it completely forgets to add an interesting storyline. A built-up, anything to keep the viewer interested. It's not enough to have a bunch of characters endlessly throwing thoughts at each other. The movie gets pretty exhausting after about 20 minutes and you find yourself peeking at your watch every 10 minutes. On the plus side, the cast is great. Johnathan Schwartzmann, Isabelle Huppert, Dustin Hoffmann, Jude Law, Naomi Watts and Lily Tomlin, all in one movie is really a treat. The direction is solid with some interesting visual effects thrown in and, as I stated before, the whole script is really striving to be original. But for all it's wackiness and supposed depth there's very little to take away from the movie, but a few bewildered laughs. In the end, "I Heart Huckabees" biggest flaw is that it fails at what should be a movie's premium goal: keeping the viewer interested.