After a seemingly endless stretch sitting in a darkened theater, the two-screen Roxy Theater in Philadelphia, the lights finally came down and the audience settled in for a film that has achieved a kind of infamy that is almost unheard of today. The audience in this small auditorium sat back in their seat, prepared to see what all the fuss was about. Finally, after two lousy-looking previews, the main event was about to start. After the title screen, they watched the opening credits, consisting of "A film by Vincent Gallo," and "Directed, produced and written by Vincent Gallo." A collective sigh ran up from the audience, apparently due to the publicity about the film's supposedly self-centered and narcissistic director/writer/cinematographer/what-ever-the-hell-else star. But somewhere, towards the back of the theater, a disheveled young man in a tattered green baseball hat smiled to himself.

Yes, that disheveled young man is your humble reviewer, having just driven close to an hour and having nearly gotten lost trying to locate this small but strangely cozy theater. Having made the trek to see this film, whereas I would assume most of the others in attendance drove down the block, I was most excited to finally be able to see for myself the film that was proclaimed as the worst film ever to screen at Cannes. I would be one of the few to have actually seen the film, and therefore could accurately comment on it, and not just about the notorious final reel.

Having recently watched Vincent Gallo's complete filmography, from his first starring roles in ARIZONA DREAM and HOUSE OF SPIRITS to the more recent ones, GET WELL SOON and the horrendous FREEWAY 2 and HIDE AND SEEK, I felt as though I was prepared to see what the director/star of BUFFALO 66, which has become one of my absolute favorite movies, had in store for me. That film was a kind of journey into the pathetic existence of the main character, a perpetual loser who somehow endears himself to the audience despite their better judgment. THE BROWN BUNNY is similar in that it depicts the life in which the main character finds himself, going so far as to better depict this sad, almost haunted existence better than Billy Brown's in BUFFALO '66.

BROWN BUNNY begins with a group of motorcyclists navigating the course during a competition. We start out by hearing the full sound of the bikes, but throughout the scene, which carries on for a few minutes, the sound begins to fade in and out, leaving prolonged moments of absolute silence in its wake. This is the way the entire film proceeds from here on through. Mostly, THE BROWN BUNNY is completely silent, save the occasional ambient noise of, say, windshield wipers clearing the rain from a windshield or the hum of an engine, for most of the film consists of a view as our main character, motorcycle racer Bud Clay, driving cross country to reach the location of his next race.

This lack of sound, combined with the agonizingly slow pace of the film, make BROWN BUNNY a film which I would classify as the most definitive art film made for art's sake that I have ever seen, definitely the most definitive that I have ever seen on the big screen. This, simply put, is not a movie that would make money on a wide release. This film would only appeal to a certain number of people when viewed on a cinematic level. Of course, I would suspect that the main reason that most people left their home that Friday night to see Vincent Gallo's film would be to see the controversial final reel which, yes, does include a graphic oral sex scene. Honestly though, this audience would have a tough time sitting through this movie, a fact which was verified by my experience watching the film.
While I would wager that at least two thirds of the audience that night left the theater thinking that THE BROWN BUNNY was the worst piece of film they had ever seen, I left praising the film for its commendable artistic achievement. Why? Several reasons.

First, the point of this film is to depict the sad life of Bud Clay, who we learn is plagued by memories of an ex-girlfriend Daisy which hinders his ability to move on with his life. This life is full of frankly boring stretches where absolutely nothing happens. There quite literally are about five or six scenes in the film where anything happens at all. The rest of the 92 minute running time is occupied by shots of Bud driving his van, mainly shots looking out of his dirty windshield at the passing scenery. While this makes average moviegoer A fall asleep almost immediately, this nearly complete lack of excitement achieves what Gallo was going for in this film, to get the more appreciative audience into Bud Clay's head and experience life as he sees it.

This approach to the film also makes what DOES happen in the film all the more meaningful and profound. An early scene has Bud stopping in his childhood home and approaching ex-girlfriend Daisy's parents, who still keep Daisy's pet rabbit, the titular "brown bunny," even though they haven't heard from her for years. Another scene has Bud approaching a lonely woman at a rest stop, engaging in a beautifully haunted kiss, and then, suddenly, leaving after he gets second thoughts. These scenes, while being some of the few moments of "action," using the term rather liberally, still maintain the feel of the rest of the film. Dialogue is kept to a bare minimum - I would wager there are about two pages of speech total, most of them coming at the end - and the main element is still the silence Bud encounters.

Gallo's approach to the film itself is also rather intriguing. The film was shot in 16mm using reversal film, which leaves the finished print bathed in a grainy, 1970s-kind of look which adds to the overall effect. If this film would have been filmed in the flashy, colorful stock used by the typical Hollywood blockbuster, the atmosphere of the picture would have been ruined. By using this process, leaving the film drab and nearly colorless, we are further thrust into Bud's sad, strange existence. The camerawork overall is not flashy either, again, another conscious decision to make the film less Hollywood and more realistic. Honestly, this may be one of the most realistic films I've ever seen, filled with the boredom and tedium that life presents us with everyday.

One of the few memorable sequences for me from a technical standpoint is the scene where Bud, having stopped in the middle of the desert, takes his motorcycle out of his van and races off into the distance. The camera stays planted next to the van the whole time, so we see the motorcycle disappear into the horizon, and melt with the mirages created in the desert sand. It's a very interesting shot, and one that I think symbolizes Bud's journey into oblivion, especially when it appears, due to an illusion created by the mirages, that the motorcycle is now longer planted on the ground and is instead rising into an eerie sky.

The acting in THE BROWN BUNNY was effective, yet I don't think anyone was really challenged by the part here, with the possible exception of Chloe Sevigny. Gallo pretty much just is there for most of the film, not having been required to really act. At the same time, when some emoting becomes necessary in the overall scheme of the plot, Gallo succeeds in getting this emotion across, especially during the climax (no not that scene, but the scene after) when everything in the plot comes together and those audience members still awake (OK, so they are all awake after the sex scene) let out a collective, knowing "oh."

A final positive element of the film is the soundtrack. As with Gallo's BUFFALO '66, his use of appropriate music adds to the effect of the film. There are a couple of slow, almost haunted jazz numbers, as well as a couple of equally disturbing (at least in the context of this film) soft rock songs that further cement in the viewer's mind what Bud's mindset is.

While I think that the overall film is very good, probably excellent, I would say that there are several negative aspects of it.

First, while this didn't apply to me personally, this film is VERY slow. As I mentioned, the average American moviegoer who takes pride in seeing the latest explosion-crammed blockbuster will absolutely loathe this film. It moves at a snail's pace and, quite literally nothing happens through most of the film. When I was figuring out my plans to see this, I thought about inviting a couple of friends. I am now glad I didn't, as they probably would have complained the entire film about how damn slow and boring it was. Unless you have a sincere interest and love for cinematic art, this is just not a film for you, regardless of your interest in seeing Chloe Sevigny give head.

Secondly, the use of the music in the segments it is used almost has a comical effect sometimes. There are vast stretches of silence, then, as soon as Gallo jumps in his van, we get the next slice of music to carry us into the next scene (and pad out the running time). This happens several times during the film, resulting in chuckles from some of the audience members. I liked the music selected for the use in the film, but the way it was incorporated became somewhat mechanical and diminished the effect.

Finally, while I don't think that overall, this film was the narcissistic celebration that everyone claims that it is, I think Gallo's script definitely plays him up to be "all that" at times. Along with the scene in which we find out that, yes, Vincent Gallo does indeed "measure up," there are several scenes, such as when three separate prostitutes solicit Bud as he drives through L.A., or when he approaches an female attendant at a gas station, asks her to join him on his road trip, and she agrees despite not even knowing him before five minutes prior. These scenes, as with the placement of the music, resulted in chuckles from some of the audience, and I would agree that these moments of self-absorption on Gallo's part diminished the effect of the film.

Much has been said about "the scene" in this film, but I really didn't find it gratuitous at all. Considering the rest of the film, the scene featuring the graphic, pornographic fellatio does fit in and flows with the remainder of the film. I can't really give away the ending since it would be pointless to see the film at that point, but once you figure everything out, the scene seems all the more pertinent and relevant to understanding Bud Clay's character. And besides that, the scene was hot.

THE BROWN BUNNY is not a film that I would recommend to everyone. In fact, I would only recommend it to a select few. Those going only to see what the controversy is all about will probably sleep through what they came to see, and those looking for any action at all will be sorely disappointed. And yet, Gallo's film achieves what it sets out to do, that is to create a searing portrait of a haunted soul meandering through a nearly meaning and pointless existence. If you're making a film about boring events, and that film is boring, than I'd say that you've succeeded. Vincent Gallo's THE BROWN BUNNY may appear to be about boring events, which for the most part, is true. But I think to the more discriminating audience who applies thought process to the film, it will be a rewarding experience. THE BROWN BUNNY is definitely not a pleasant or enjoyable film, but it is very, very good.


Recommended:
Yes

Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age