I Heart Huckabees (2004)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

David O. Russell

Writers (WGA):

David O. Russell (written by) &
Jeff Baena (written by)

Release Date:

22 October 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

An existential comedy

Plot:

A husband-and-wife team play detective, but not in the traditional sense. Instead, the happy duo helps others solve their existential issues, the kind that keep you up at night, wondering what it all means.

Plot Keywords:

Coincidence | Surrealism | Fireman | Firefighter | Beautiful Woman

Awards:

2 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Jason Schwartzman	...	Albert Markovski
Isabelle Huppert	...	Caterine Vauban
Dustin Hoffman	...	Bernard
Lily Tomlin	...	Vivian
Jude Law	...	Brad Stand
Mark Wahlberg	...	Tommy Corn
Naomi Watts	...	Dawn Campbell
Angela Grillo	...	Angela Franco
Ger Duany	...	Mr. Stephen Nimieri
Darlene Hunt	...	Darlene
Kevin Dunn	...	Marty
Benny Hernandez	...	Davy
Richard Appel	...	Josh
Benjamin Nurick	...	Harrison
Jake Muxworthy	...	Tim

Also Known As:

I Love Huckabee's (USA) (working title)
I Love Huckabees (USA) (alternative title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language and a sex scene.

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

English | French | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Brazil:18 | Indonesia:Dewasa | Netherlands:AL | Iceland:12 | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:13 | South Korea:15 | USA:TV-MA (TV rating) | South Africa:13LS | Australia:M | Canada:14A | Finland:K-11 | Germany:12 | Ireland:15 | Singapore:M18 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

777 S. Figueroa Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Fox Searchlight Pictures

Trivia:

Jason Schwartzman's Albert is loosely based by director David O. Russell on himself and the themes of the film were inspired by Russell's mentor, Robert Thurman, Uma Thurman's father. In fact, Dustin Hoffman's character, Bernard, was modeled directly after Thurman.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When Tommy's wife is leaving him, Bernard shows him a picture of the universe. He looks over to the left side of the picture when pointing out "our galaxy." However, in Tommy's next line, he points to the right side of the picture and says, "There's us over here."

Quotes:

[first lines]
Albert Markovski: Motherfucking cocksucker motherfucking shit fucker what am I doing? What am I doing? I don't know what I'm doing. I'm doing the best that I can. I know that's all I can ask of myself. Is that good enough? Is my work doing any good? Is anybody paying attention? Is it hopeless to try and change things? The African guy is a sign, right? Because if he isn't, than nothing in this world makes any sense to me. I'm fucked! Maybe I should quit. Don't quit! Maybe I should just fucking quit. Don't fucking quit! I don't know what the fuck I'm supposed to fucking do anymore! Fucker! Fuck shit!

Movie Connections:

References The Mask (1994)

Soundtrack:

Monday

Good for your soul. (Leave your critic at home.)

Complaints about the writing and acting in this movie remind me of when, as an usher at a large church, I overheard the comments of the parishioners after the service. The minister had delivered a plea that we search our souls, but all these people could find to talk about was what she was wearing, or the style of her hair. If you walk into this movie thinking of yourself as a student in a film studies class (especially Hollywood films), you are going to find plenty to complain about.

But the real purpose of this movie is not to snag an Oscar, or even entertain you. And despite its attempts at 'explaining' life, it is not to convince you of any particular philosophy, either. It is, rather, to inveigle you to question your own motives for your behavior in life, and thus your basic presumptions about what you are doing here in the first place. Not a small task; the human psyche constructs many layers of defense, and it is in penetrating these defenses that psychologists spend most of their efforts. The humor in this movie helps break through some of the defenses.

Perhaps you believe you have no use for a psychologist. Brad Stand (Jude Law) didn't either, except to rationalize in his own mind his duplicitous self-serving behavior. But once 'existential detectives' Dustin Hoffman and Lily Tomlin are on the case, there's no getting rid of them until all the dark corners have been exposed. That's both the bad news and the good news. Bad news because all his ploys are exploded. Good news, because now he can start to live a real life.

After all the trailing credits have rolled, what remains on the screen is the single line in the movie that sums it all up: 'How am I not myself?' A question asked throughout the ages, it is not meant to have an answer but, like a good koan, to create an infinitely deep inbox in your mind that you fill as you go through your days. e.e. cummings said it isn't easy to be nobody but yourself, but it's worth it. If you are more concerned about living a genuine life and less about cinematic perfection, this movie is, too.