Like a good Nic Cage film, this film takes a silly, dare I say stupid, premise (yes about a pig), and treats it with far more respect and seriousness than it is owed. Throughout the film, I found myself unable to not look at someone else I was watching the film with and say "PIIIIIGGGGG!" If my timing was good I would be met with an equally enthusiastic "PIIIIGGGGG!" back. Nic Cage does what he does best, and plays into the film, making it seem like it is something real, serious, and threatening when at its core it is a movie about a truffle hunter, his pig, and uncovering secrets you would never actualize on first glace.
BUT....
Here's the thing, it kind of works. I wanted to give this film a bad review (or at least a mediocre one) after I finished watching it. I walked away confused at what I saw: love for a pig, Nic Cage's refusal to clean himself, truffle cartels?, but the truth is I did enjoy the film. Good films make you set aside reality all the time, sure this one takes place in contemporary Portland, there is nothing magical or fantastic about it, but if you simply let yourself believe in the story it is trying to tell, believe in the world, it tells a compelling tale of love, family, and death, asks deep questions about what it means to be alive, and examines how our past affects our future. The cinematography is great, the music is good (although I think they were trying to be more clever with it than I picked up on), and the acting was, for lack of a better word, Nic Cage. It is not a masterpiece, but it is good and to the right person great.
There is still part of me that wants to give it at least a 6, but also a part of me that thinks if I assess my experience watching it, and not the time spent trying to rationalize it, it deserves an 8 or 9. I think a 7 will do it just fine.
BUT....
Here's the thing, it kind of works. I wanted to give this film a bad review (or at least a mediocre one) after I finished watching it. I walked away confused at what I saw: love for a pig, Nic Cage's refusal to clean himself, truffle cartels?, but the truth is I did enjoy the film. Good films make you set aside reality all the time, sure this one takes place in contemporary Portland, there is nothing magical or fantastic about it, but if you simply let yourself believe in the story it is trying to tell, believe in the world, it tells a compelling tale of love, family, and death, asks deep questions about what it means to be alive, and examines how our past affects our future. The cinematography is great, the music is good (although I think they were trying to be more clever with it than I picked up on), and the acting was, for lack of a better word, Nic Cage. It is not a masterpiece, but it is good and to the right person great.
There is still part of me that wants to give it at least a 6, but also a part of me that thinks if I assess my experience watching it, and not the time spent trying to rationalize it, it deserves an 8 or 9. I think a 7 will do it just fine.