3 stars out of 5
It’s only the third Ethan Hawke movie I’ve ever seen in a theater (and I see an awful lot of movies in the theater), so I definitely wanted to catch this one. Though only Nick Hornby’s earliest books have truly impressed me — Fever Pitch and High Fidelity — this story seemed up my alley: Indie rock guy guy becomes reclusive after an iconic album. (Think Jeff Mangum and In the Aeroplane Over the Sea.) Somewhat obsessed British superfan Duncan devotes his free time to the scant information available on Tucker Crowe (Ethan Hawke). Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Crowe makes contact… with Duncan’s girlfriend Annie.
Fifteen years into her relationship, cracks are widening, and Annie welcomes the distraction of a secret transatlantic correspondence with the less and less mysterious musician. That aspect really rang true — innocent infidelity for a bored lover — as did the world of the obsessive music fan. (I may know one or two.) There is much to enjoy here, and a lot of credit must go to the leads. Chris O’Dowd as Duncan is as goofily likable as ever, and convincing in his inability to focus on Annie. We pull for Rose Byrne as Annie and maybe we have a little crush on her too. (The character runs a small-town historical museum fer crissakes.) And my man Ethan is believable and friendly as the weathered rocker who is perhaps being sparked back to life.
I didn’t like everything. Super Hans makes a brief appearance, and he’s my least favorite thing in Peep Show. There’s too much about Tucker being a bad dad, to the children of his different conquests, and how this contrasts with Annie’s growing regret about not being a parent. (The script twice has Tucker tell her, “I’m not one to give advice” and it didn’t feel intentional that he was repeating himself.) Still, it was feeling like 3.5 stars nearly all the way through, until the ending left me kind of cold. Like what had come before didn’t totally justify how things wound up, and/or maybe too much ground was covered too quickly. (I totally would’ve dropped the “extra content” during the credits.)
Oh, one other thing. I was further drawn to the movie by the promise of new songs by Robyn Hitchcock. However, we were not told that these compositions would be sung by Ethan Hawke. So I’m feeling pretty justified about my 3-star rating; don’t mess with an obsessive music fan.
Wait, when did you relax your Ethan Hawke policy?
Four years ago. I began that review:
>>I haven’t seen a movie with Ethan Hawke in it since 1989. He and I have a complicated history. But when I heard all the amazing buzz about the movie Boyhood, I figured the quarter-century boycott would finally come to an end. I am glad it did.