Review - Spring Breakers
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Imagine the MTV Spring Break phenomenon of the late 90’s and early 2000’s mixed with a whole lot of drugs, guns and neon colors amplified by a million. Suggestive and sexy from the moment you sit down, Spring Breakers is wilder then you can imagine with a fresh and invigorating plot that is certainly the first great and memorable film of 2013.
Coming from the mind of Harmony Korine; the films follows four college girls Faith (Selena Gomez), Brit (Ashley Benson), Candy (Vanessa Hudgens) and Cotty (Rachel Korine) as they look to escape their “mundane” college dorms to the sunshine of Florida and spring break fun. Short on funds but not on psychotic ideas, they decide to take matters into their own hands. Donning ski masks, matching sweaters and painted squirt guns they knock over a diner for all its cash and haul *** to debauchery in the sunshine state.
Perhaps Spring Breakers is the most expensive Girls Gone Wild video of all time; but tell me this would you see a tatted up, cornrows wearing James Franco belting out Britney Spears’ “Everytime” during a sunset in one of those videos? No! Just another reason to watch this film and that’s not the only Britney song sung in the film!
With money in hand, colorful bikini’s in tow and a craving for some thrills; the girls wind up smack dab in the middle of spring break where there is nothing but sand, alcohol, tans, drugs and lots of frolicking. After being busted for doing drugs in a hotel room they are bailed out by a local rapper and drug dealer named Alien. Tattoos covering his body, grills in his mouth and a smile from ear to ear, this gangster no questions asked gets the girls out of a bind because he thinks they are special.
Much is being made about the “Disney girls” (Hudgens and Gomez) shedding their Mickey ears for a film like this but honestly it’s going to do them good in the long run. Gomez plays the religious, prayer group going Faith who decides to leave the good girl attitude at home and look for some fun with her three miscreant friends. I wouldn’t say Gomez’s acting stood out above the others in the quartet but her character certainly had the most layers. Faith walks a tight rope of wanting to shed her constraints but being scared of the consequences at the same time. And once Alien comes into the picture she’s had enough and bails leaving Candy, Brit and Cotty to fend for themselves. Unlike Faith though, they are living it up, enjoying the money, drugs, guns and fun that come with the territory. Hudgens and Benson play the reckless, bad-***** of the group, taking a massive liking to Alien and even going with him to rob hopeless fellow spring breakers for their drugs and money. The directors wife Rachel Korine also is part of the foursome as a wild party animal who is much more extreme then Faith but follows a similar path.
As a whole the group is excellent, displaying a care-free, true spring break mentality with the addition of automatic weapons and pink ski masks.
Credit must be given where it is due. James Franco as Alien was off the charts. Regardless off how ridiculous he looks or how he is a carbon copy of the “rapper” Riff Raff, he pulls off the role with flying colors. From bathing Hudgens and Benson in hundred dollar bills to toting assault rifles and platinum teeth; Franco’s Alien will certainly be one of the most memorable characters of 2013 and it quite possibly is his best role ever. Alien comes off as otherworldly to these girls but his brash confidence along with the hilarious accent and countless jokes make him the overall highlight of the film.
Obviously the stars of the film are on the screen but Harmony Korine is really front and center of Spring Breakers. Not only did he pen a fantastic, believable, appropriate screenplay but he presented the film in a grandiose fashion that fit the bill of a wild and crazy spring break adventure. Korine shot for the moon here with extravagant party scenes, gratuitous gyrating bouncing nudity and a no holds bared approach to girls owning the spotlight. All to the sounds of Cliff Martinez (Drive) and the ever-popular Skrillex’s base bumping rhythms fit for a massive beach blowout.
Taking chances with over the top colors, sequences and repetition of lines; Korine thought outside of the box and it paid off.
With spring break turning into an extended violent vacation in Florida, the business side of Alien’s operation (drugs) comes to a forefront as he goes head-to-head with childhood friend Archie played by rapper Gucci Mane. Archie claims he owns the streets and as the two flash pistols in strip clubs it’s clear the staycation may get a bit messy.
Spring Breakers truly is a testament to how far you’ll go to escape reality and to what lengths you would go to keep the good times rolling.
While you may be able to poke holes in a plot of four girls robbing a diner to fund their Spring Break excursion you certainly can’t deny how insanely entertaining the journey is. In a film culture where guys rule, especially in this type of a plot in the past; it's refreshing to see a story where the girls are wielding the guns and taking charge. Korine is able to portray all this without a sexist undertone yet it never becomes an agenda.
At the end of the day Spring Breakers delivered a ton of laughs, a nonstop party and a great performance from Franco. Accompanied by exceptional out of the box work by Hudgens, Gomez, Korine and Benson, you’ll walk out of the theater with “spring break forevah” reverberating in your head just the way Alien said it. When the film was over I was ready to watch it again and have no doubt this will become a cult classic. I know it’s early but this is the type of film that sticks with you and I’ll be surprised if one can top it in 2013 in the fun department.
Rating: A
