Gabe Nevins, Jake Miller, Taylor Momsen

Borrowing Norman Bates weapon of choice, Gus Van Sant sliced off that part of him that only wanted to work with name actors in large studio films shortly after his redo of the Hitchcock classic “Psycho” flopped like an exhausted runner after a race. You can’t blame him - the film near ended his career (and near put Universal in the red). But did Van Sant, who also directed “Good Will Hunting” and “To Die For” before re-opening the Bates Motel in 1998, have to do a complete 180? Could he have compromised? And did he have to use the knife to lop off his balls, too?

It’s clear that Van Sant’s talents lie in independent films that are headlined not necessarily by names, but simply good actors, and he’s proved he can make good movies on a few bucks, but whether it’s because of fear or writer’s block, his last three or four films – though good – seem to be tuned to the same channel. “Paranoid Park” is just one Teen Angst-movie too many for the filmmaker. And it’s his least entertaining.

There’s something about the unrealistic dialogue, as well as the languid pacing, of his latest that sees it rank slightly below Van Sant’s recent flicks, “Last Days” and “Elephant” – but that isn’t the main problem. Those earlier films actually had something to say – the former was loosely based on the life and death of Kurt Cobain; the latter was inspired by the events of Colombine – this one seems to have been conceived out of left-over ideas from both.

Based on the book by Blake Nelson, “Paranoid Park” tells the story of a skate-boarding teenager who accidentally kills a man. The film basically fixes on the effects this all has on the kid – he suddenly finds himself distanced from his best friend and girlfriend, for starters - who is getting it all down on paper as a way of freeing the demons.

Though it’s admirable to see relatively inexperienced actors give performances of this calibre, and both Van Sant’s direction is both visually impressive and effective, the story just doesn’t grab – and, for numerous reasons, doesn’t ring true. And really, that’s what movies are all about – the story. When you find yourself glancing at your watch every few minutes, you know something’s not cooked right through.

Maybe it’s time Matt and Ben brought another script to Gus?

Rating :
Reviewer : Clint Morris