Spring Breakers (2012)

Four college girls who land in jail after robbing a restaurant in order to fund their spring break vacation find themselves bailed out by a drug and arms dealer who wants them to do some dirty work.

Director:

Harmony Korine

Writer:

Harmony Korine (screenplay)

Stars:

Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Benson

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
James Franco	...	Alien
Selena Gomez	...	Faith
Vanessa Hudgens	...	Candy
Ashley Benson	...	Brit
Rachel Korine	...	Cotty
Gucci Mane	...	Archie
Heather Morris	...	Bess
Ash Lendzion	...	Forest
Emma Holzer	...	Heather
Lee Irby	...	History Professor
Jeff Jarrett	...	Youth Pastor
Josh Randall	...	Jock 1
Travis Duncan	...	Jock 2
John McClain	...	Judge
Paige Anderson	...	Female Guard

Storyline

Brit, Candy, Cotty, and Faith have been best friends since grade school. They live together in a boring college dorm and are hungry for adventure. All they have to do is save enough money for spring break to get their shot at having some real fun. A serendipitous encounter with rapper "Alien" promises to provide the girls with all the thrill and excitement they could hope for. With the encouragement of their new friend, it soon becomes unclear how far the girls are willing to go to experience a spring break they will never forget.

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Plot Keywords:

spring break | restaurant | jail | college girl | money | 

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Taglines:

Spring Break, bitches

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong sexual content, language, nudity, drug use and violence throughout

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 March 2013 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bahar Tatili

Filming Locations:

Sunshine Skyway Bridge, Tampa, Florida, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$263,002 (USA) (15 March 2013)

Gross:

$14,030,738 (USA) (10 May 2013)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Muse Productions, O' Salvation, Division Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Rachel Korine is married to the director Harmony Korine.

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Quotes

Brit: I think that's the secret to life - being a good person.

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Connections

References Scarface (1983)

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Soundtracks

"Moment 4 Life"
Performed by Nicki Minaj and Aubrey Graham
Written by Nicki Minaj, Aubrey Graham, Nikhil Seetharam and Tyler Williams

User Reviews

Going to be the most hated and yet underrated film to come out this year - Korine at his finest

Mr. Korine is a strangely unique director that uses this film to bore you into understanding how a generation growing up with MTV and girls gone wild has deeply mutilated the pursuit of happiness with nihilistic extremity — however his satirical exploration leaves you uncertain whether to laugh, cry out in horror, or stare in disbelief at its overwhelmingly artistic beauty.

I watched this opening night and was shocked at how good of a movie it had turned out to be. I wasn't really sure what to expect when I walked in so it turned out to be a nice little treat, but to my disbelief when I got home I began reading up on it and all I could see were tweets and posts about it being the "worst movie ever made" and "absolutely disgusting soft core porn". I couldn't believe that these people watched the same film I did.

As far as performances go there isn't much here other than Franco. The four girls do a decent job, the most notable being Selena Gomez although her character wasn't in it for a lot of the highly regarded scenes. James Franco is the star of this film. His performance is dark, uncomfortable and most of all hilarious. He hits it out of the park in the movie managing to make people unsure whether to be uncomfortable or laugh. His character is narcissistic and insane, yet you like him. He brings so much humanity to a place it shouldn't be.

Aesthetically, this movie is absolutely brilliant. The cinematography is fantastic. No matter how you feel when you leave this movie there is no denying how well shot it is. The lighting is beautiful and adds this feeling of darkness you might normally find in a well made horror film. Normally I wouldn't appreciate that very much but it was so properly executed with the great editing and slo-mo sequences. No surprise from the sound department either; the sound design and music brought to us by the brilliant Clint Martinez (Drive) makes what seems like a never-ending soundtrack that compliments the visuals masterfully.

Under all that the movie still manages to hit its theme, just in a way that a lot of people will miss and I believe this is the key to enjoying the film. It's meant to be boring. The use of repetition is so excessive it leaves a mark. No matter how much fun these girls are having it feels very dull and boring. This is the point! If you think for a second what you're seeing on screen is supposed to make you feel excited than go watch Project X. You're not intended to feel how the girls feel because they don't understand. Throughout the film you should feel uncomfortable, disgusted and at times sad. This film (to the right audience) should be as much a horror film as it is a dark comedy.

Spring Breakers is a unique experience featuring lots of depth and style. This film will most likely be the most hated and underrated film to come out this year. I apologize on behalf of the general public Mr. Korine.

(8/10)

On a side note:

The film has been said to support rape culture. I know it can be hard to understand for some people but sometimes film - like a person - uses sarcasm. This is the case. The film shows lots of naked females having fun, very much trying to replicate spring break culture in Florida however the film isn't a mockery of spring break, it's about the marginalized kids who have been brought up on Disney princesses and MTV. The kids who grew up with role models like Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan. The film isn't meant to focus on girls losing their innocence but instead girls searching for something and realizing it isn't what they thought it was.

Spring Breakers is going to cause a lot of disagreement regardless. After reading this you will love or hate it all the same; what I won't stand for is people being unwilling to look past the surface and see this film for what it really is.

Be sure to check out my review site: thejoshlreviews.com