Sean Penn was in the two worst films of 2011. Although at least in the laughably
pretentious Tree of Life Penn only
played a pissed-off adult version of one of the children abused by the father
played by Brad Pitt. In This Must Be The Place, Penn bares the
brunt of the responsibility himself—at least in front of the lens. Much has been made of Penn’s
collaboration with director Paolo Sorrentino, who wrote the script specifically
with Penn in mind.
Penn plays
retired rock star Cheyenne a raven-tressed ‘80’s holdover hunting a Nazi prison
guard camp who imprisoned Cheyenne’s recently deceased father during the
Holocaust. Yes, boys and girls,
it’s an indie-Holocaust themed movie,
ain’t that whacky?!
Cheyenne as portrayed by Penn is the most self-conscious
character in cinematic history—or maybe he’s the least self-conscious, but
either way he’s strictly an artistic caricature, there’s nothing flesh and
blood about him. And his mumbling
affected pattern of speech is a distraction that does nothing but remind the
viewer she’s watching a film. Jeff
Spicoli would crack up and blow bong hits right into Cheyenne’s stupid monkey
face.
Conceptually, this film might have been brilliant and
totally original if executed properly, but the film’s plodding pace, the annoying
and boring characters and Sorrentino’s “Hey, if you need me I’m in the next
room” directorial style eventually drags the viewer down into a bottomless pit
of thrift-store aesthetics. And what
David Byrne is doing playing himself in this mess is beyond the ken of mortal
man.
This weekend, please be any
place but in front of this film.
