Across the Universe Review
Posted by James McGee on 10.16.2007
A beautiful disaster
Evan Rachel Wood—Lucy
Jim Sturgess—Jude
Joe Anderson—Max Carrigan
Dana Fuchs—Sadie
Martin Luther—JoJo
T.V. Carpio—Prudence
Directed by Julie Taymor
Written by Dick Clement & Ian La Frenais; Story by Julie Taymor & Dick Clement & Ian La Frenais
Runtime: 131 minutes
Rated PG-13 for some drug content, nudity, sexuality, violence and language
A word of warning: I was really looking forward to this movie. After seeing the trailer countless times, I believed the hype and truly thought Across the Universe was going to be an amazing, mind-blowing experience. After waiting patiently for it to come to a theater within shooting distance, I finally saw it this weekend. To say it didn’t live up to my expectations would be an understatement, so if a little extra bitterness creeps into this review, you’ve been warned. However, my own disappointment aside, Across the Universe is an inherently flawed film that really could have been something amazing. While individual sequences are brilliant in their own right, the movie as a whole is never really able to pull it together. The film is filled with amazing performances, great music, and an incredible visual style. It also happens to be a total failure.
After coming to America to find his long-lost father, Jude befriends Max Carrington, a Princeton dropout, and accompanies him to New York. There, Jude falls in love with Max’s sister, Lucy, and the trio find themselves among a motley crew of 1960s-stereotypes in the middle of the era’s many cultural revolutions. They struggle to understand love, the world, and themselves while belting out classic Beatles tunes.
Across the Universe’s problems are many and varied, but one aspect that is entirely without fault is the cast. There isn’t a weak link to be found among the performers, neither in terms of acting or singing. Bono (“I am the Walrus”), Joe Cocker (“Come Together”) and Eddie Izzard (“Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite!”) all make scenery-chewing cameos that, for all their flamboyance, don’t manage to overshadow the subtle brilliance of the principle cast. Even those who deify the Beatles would have a hard time picking out a shoddy rendition here, and what little emotional impact the film is able to muster is all thanks to the actors.
Unfortunately, the memorable cast could be too much of a good thing. You see, the problem is that there are so many characters and so little story here that Across the Universe just seems simultaneously shallow and bloated. Instead of coming up with a story and carefully selecting a few Beatles tunes to augment the action, it seems as though Julie Taymor made a list of her favorite songs and then filled in the gaps with a flimsy story. A textbook example of this problem comes in the character of Prudence, a lesbian cheerleader-turned runaway-turned circus performer whose sole reason for existing is so other characters can sing “Dear Prudence.” Similarly, Dana Fuch’s performance as (Sexy) Sadie is jaw-dropping (if someone doesn’t cast this woman as Janis Joplin, then someone is blind, deaf, and stupid), but how much does she ultimately add to the film? The heart of the movie is the relationship between Jude, Lucy, and Max. The chemistry between the three actors is almost tangible, and the film would have been much stronger if it had focused solely on them instead of trying to fit in almost thirty songs. Look, it’s no secret that the Beatles were quiet the decent little band, and I’m sure we’d all have a hard time picking our favorite tunes, but those are the sacrifices that have to be made for a story.
Taymor also tries to have it both ways when it comes to the film’s tone, as she skirts the edge between realism and surrealism a little too closely. Musicals are inherently unrealistic—as a general rule, people do not break into song and dance in public as a way of expressing their emotions. This is one of the many contrivances that moviegoers had to accept over the medium’s long history. However, musicals ultimately fall under the same rules as fantasy or science-fiction—if they establish their internal rules and stick with them, suspending your disbelief really isn’t that hard. When looked at objectively, the idea that two warring street-gangs would settle their differences through dance is pretty absurd. But because of the tone established (and maintained) by West Side Story, the audience buys it. The over-all tone in Across the Universe is somber and realistic, so that when the song and dance sequences come, they stick out as the silly contrivances they truly are. Bono’s psychedelic turn as Dr. Robert and the deliciously surreal “Mr. Kite” sequence are mostly excusable because they can be passed off as drug-induced hallucinations. Other parts don’t fare as well. “I’ve Just Seen a Face” is a fun, super-choreographed cheese-fest that beautifully recalls the classic musicals of yesteryear. However, in the context of the film, it comes off as ridiculous. Taken on their own, these set-pieces are as imaginative and amazing as I’d hoped. But a series of music videos doesn’t make for much of a movie. That’s why Across the Universe is the most frustrating type of film: the whole is somehow less than the sum of its often-brilliant parts.
The 411: The musical sequences are great by themselves, but don’t add up to much of a movie, and as wonderful as the performances are, they simply can’t glue together the uninspired, over-crowded story. Across the Universe is certainly an experience—a true visual and auditory feast. But it will leave you hungry for something it just can’t give.
