rated R
USA Films
92 minutes
starring Jade Gordon, Michael Des Barres, John Taylor, Martin Kemp, Larry Klein, John Doe, Lucinda Jenney, Ally Sheedy, Rosanna Arquette, Jeffrey McDonald, Richmond Arquette, Lumi Cavazos, Vincent Berry, Beverly D'Angelo
written and directed by Allison Anders and Kurt Voss

Good friends Allison Anders and Kurt Voss are each experienced filmmakers. They started out with their $50,000 collaboration on the L.A. punk rock scene, "Border Radio", and have watched their work evolve from edgy, alternative indie to mainstream, formulaic Hollywood. Anders had made three critically acclaimed films which told stories from a woman's perspective, and Voss had directed a handful of films which ended up either faltering on cable or delving into obscurity. Either way, both decided it was time for a change.

Anders and Voss were looking to recapture that independent spirit which was so evident in "Border Radio", and decided to conceive and make a movie without any hassle. For their second collaborative effort, they decided to once again visit the L.A. music scene, for a behind the scenes look at the ambition and failure in the rock music industry. In less than two weeks, they wrote "Sugar Town", and started production less than a month later. Then, in January, the film premiered at Sundance Film Festival '99, just six months after Allison Anders and Kurt Voss put their pens to paper.

As a rabid supporter of the independent film scene, this act of daring and unconventionality pleased me immensely. But sadly, "Sugar Town" turns out to be a film that emphasizes the contraints of a low budget rather than the creative freedom allowed by such an endeavor. "Sugar Town" is an ensemble comedy in the "Short Cuts" vein that has its moments, but never gets off its feet.

"Sugar Town" involves a cross section of individuals who are either climbing the ladder of ambition or who are at 14:59 in their fame clock. All are involved somehow in a hit or miss business, where a sure thing today can be a has been tomorrow. There is Gwen (newcomer Jade Gordon), a ruthlessly ambitious housemaid, Liz (Ally Sheedy), a movie production designer who is taken advantage of at every turn, Eva (Rosanna Arquette), an aging actress married to has been 80's rocker Clive (John Taylor), who is trying to get his new band off the ground.

These people are unified only by their desire to be the next big thing, despite their age, sex and class differences. But we, the viewers, never see any developed, human characters. Instead, we see dull caricatures that are but pawns in a poorly conceived game. Every once in a while, there is a clever gesture (the self deprecating rock stars are played by members of once prominent 80's bands), but "Sugar Town" ends up feeling more sour than sweet.

As an ensemble film, "Sugar Town" also falters. The few segments which are most interesting are the ones paid least attention to (which gives way to some painfully tacky subplots), and the way the characters are tied together is a bland condescension. "Sugar Town" is short, but feels long, and the script was not only written in a hurry, but it feels that way too. The saving grace is the few women characters (obviously written by Allison Anders), played by Jade Gordon, Rosanna Arquette, and Ally Sheedy that hold our attention whenever on screen. Gordon, who had a small role in Anders' "Grace Of My Heart", shows potential in her role as the vicious Gwen. Arquette and Sheedy stay low-key, but are nevertheless effective.

Allison Anders is, in my opinion, a talent with strong views, but a knack for inconsistency. Her best work is her first sole effort, "Gas Food Lodging", a semi autobiographical story of a girl growing up in a small New Mexico town. Her poorest work can be seen in her segment of "Four Rooms", which was also co-directed by Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez and Alexandre Rockwell.

"Sugar Town" has its moments, but it's lacking an edge found in so many other studies of Hollywood industry. The film ultimately never really ends, and doesn't provoke much thought. If "Sugar Town" was a stronger film, it could have been a good argument for more independent film funding. However, like its title, "Sugar Town" ends up being meaningless; a movie that is unprovocative and uncompromising, never becoming what you want it to be.

Grade: C

Akiva Gottlieb
critical66@yahoo.com
http://pictureshow.8m.com



Recommended: No