Review - Short Cuts

1001 Movies Review by Mully

Year: 1993

Director: Robert Altman

Writers: Robert Altman & Frank Barhydt (original stories by Raymond Carver)

Starring: Julianne Moore, Anne Archer, Huey Lewis, Andie McDowell, Robert Downey, Jr., Tim Robbins, Frances McDormand, and bloody loads more.

If you love films (or reference books), the chances are you’ve heard of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die. The thing is huge and is fairly comprehensive and I decided a few months ago that I was going to watch them all. It’ll probably take me a decade or so but that’s fine. Anyway, there are lots of well known films on it, but lots that I hadn’t heard of as well, so I’m going to use Limbo as a platform to talk about some of them.

One such feature is called Short Cuts, and I was a bit shocked I hadn’t seen this sooner. It’s like a collection of some of my favourite actors have been chucked into the fountain of youth. Or it might have been 1993, I’m not sure.

The plot is difficult to explain in one sentence because the USP of the piece is that it concerns 22 main characters, all living in LA, and all crossing paths at various and unexpected points. When I first switched it on, I was very concerned that I wouldn’t be able to keep up with who was who and whatnot, but Robert Altman (who else?) does a brilliant job at making sure we see everyone often enough in their default environment before they start gallivanting off. Robert Altman is brilliant with these ensemble movies; he’s a director who can really handle such a big cast, with such a lot of talent. If you’ve seen any of his films, you’ll know what I mean. He gives us just enough time with each group of characters before moving on, and brings them back just before we wonder where they’ve gone.

For the most part, the acting was excellent. Putting aside a couple of dodgy extras, and a questionable Andie McDowell scene, it was all good stuff. Robert Downey, Jr plays Robert Downey, Jr, of course, but I can’t help but have a soft spot for his cool, cheeky arrogance. Tim Robbins is awesome as an absolute, fucking arsehole. He nails it. Really, his awful personality is hilarious. The star prize, however, goes to Frances McDormand. I’m starting to think she can play anything. I’ve seen her in quite a few different things, and she’s always playing a different type of character, and she’s so believable in every role. Top marks, Frances, and I never would have guessed that one day I’d fancy the woman from Fargo.

So, this is all good stuff then, right? A nine or a ten? I’m afraid it’s firmly in the eight category. Because while Altman does a great job of keeping the audience interested in the characters and his pacing is spot on, it seems a bit like he forgot to add any sort of style of flair to the thing. The content maybe typical of him, but aesthetically, nothing is.

It seems a niggling point, but it’s one that really matters, and that aren’t helped by the occasional lull in the story, but perhaps this is to be expected from a three hour running time. Don’t let this put you off because the rest of the film is attention grabbing stuff, helped in no small part by the excellently written, and fantastically acted characters. They’re fleshed out, realistic and darkly, truthfully comic. If you’re interested in human nature, give this film a look in.

8 out of 10

Watch if you liked: Gosford Park, Magnolia

Watch it with: a group of psychology students