Prince Avalanche (2013)

Two highway road workers spend the summer of 1988 away from their city lives. The isolated landscape becomes a place of misadventure as the men find themselves at odds with each other and the women they left behind.

Director:

David Gordon Green

Writers:

Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson (original story), David Gordon Green (adaptation)

Stars:

Paul Rudd, Emile Hirsch, Lance LeGault

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview:
Paul Rudd	...	Alvin
Emile Hirsch	...	Lance
Lance LeGault	...	Truck Driver
Joyce Payne	...	Lady
Gina Grande	...	Madison
Lynn Shelton	...	Voice of Madison (voice)
Larry Kretschmar	...	Lumberjack
Enoch Moon	...	Lumberjack
David L. Osborne Jr.	...	Lumberjack
Danni Wolcott	...	Lumberjack
Morgan Calderoni	...	Kid
Savanna Porter	...	Kid
Juniper Smith	...	Kid

Storyline

Two highway road workers spend the summer of 1988 away from their city lives. The isolated landscape becomes a place of misadventure as the men find themselves at odds with each other and the women they left behind.

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Plot Keywords:

remake

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

Magnolia Pictures [us] Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 August 2013 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Bastrop, Texas, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Muskat Filmed Properties, Rough House Pictures, Dogfish Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Remake of Either Way (2011)

User Reviews

Rudd Tries, Gordon Green does not...

I've always been a sucker for comedic actors making a strong and firm transition into serious, more dramatic roles. Though the Academy Awards never recognized it, Jim Carrey made a strong showing in films like The Truman Show (1998) and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004). Other actors that have followed include Jack Black as the flamboyant and eclectic old-lady killer in Bernie (2012) and even Chris Rock as he brilliantly complemented the off-beat love of Julie Delpy in 2 Days in New York (2012).

The newest attempt placed Paul Rudd opposite Emile Hirsch in David Gordon Green's dramedy Prince Avalanche. Suffering from a mundane, indulgent, and poorly constructed story with unrealistic characters and human behavior, Prince Avalanche falls right on its face from the near get go. Telling the story of Alvin (Rudd) and Lance (Hirsch), two highway road workers who spend the summer of 1988 in isolation as they get into weird instances of self-realization and having quarrels about the women waiting for them when they return.

The film plays off itself in the most obscure and peculiar manner. Director Gordon Green and Cinematographer Tim Orr capture odd and long- winded scenes of nature that feel either "wannabe" Terrence Malick-esque or a desperate attempt to show variety and art in an unlikely dramedy. What makes the film even more bizarre is the seemingly naïve and impractical dialogue between Alvin and Lance. The two get into an unnatural discussion about love, life, and where their lives are headed but it comes off so inauthentic, you feel like you're watching a near parody of Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountain (2005) but lacking any heart or pure cinematic statements.

Paul Rudd is our saving grace, immersing himself into a strange character but still attempting to make it his own. Awkward, funny, and at times fearful, Rudd shows future as a serious actor can be matched with talent and wit. It's one of Rudd's best turns as an actor yet. Emile Hirsch, brilliant in Sean Penn's Into the Wild (2007), has never returned to form since. As Lance, Hirsch gives a comedic edge that only fits his style of acting however, the character is so poorly erected that not even Hirsch himself can turn him into a real person for the audience to engage.

Unsure if I can fault Green for making the effort for this type of storytelling. It's this type of simplistic writing that's executed in the wrong hands that make me weary of any success for the film on both the awards front and box office. The scenery is a passable point and Orr does manage some commendable takes but the camera's constant moving, at times in the realm of a hand-held camera, is plainly dizzying and unpleasant.

An offbeat story with an unfocused director and narrative, Prince Avalanche becomes a mere lucid dream of cinematic enjoyment. Paul Rudd's surprising performance should be enough to have the viewer gander but outside of that realm, there's not much else to indulge.