Spun

Cast: Jason Schwartzman John Leguizamo Mena Suvari Patrick Fugit Brittany Murphy
Director: Jonas Akerlund
Distributor: MRA
Rating: R18+
Run Time: 101 mins

I love a good drug movie – most people do. That is, apart from the moral majority, who see the consumption of non-government endorsed substances as the second of the great evils of the televisual medium, alongside a rampant session of making the beast with two backs. Strangely enough they are the very same people who think nothing of flicking over to CNN or Fox to watch the latest instalment of George W’s Millenium Crusades (Just when they thought it was safe to go back to Jerusalem!). Thank God for the return of Conservative Morality! Now hand me another piece of Kentucky Fried Muslim.

Actually, I should probably be more specific. I like good drug movies. Movies that present a balanced view of the narcotic experience, showing the realities of both the attractive and destructive nature of dabbling in powders, pills and pipes; coupled with the kind of sardonic and surreal humour that drug-use invariably inspires. Movies that would make Bill Hicks proud, and gently suggest to the world that not all users are doomed to end up sleeping on a stained mattress, selling their arses for another hit.

I loved Human Traffic’s brazen honesty and spot-on summation of the ecstasy generation. Trainspotting was a joy of black comedy, representing both the clear allure of and downside to heroin. Even Go! was moderately entertaining. However, upon release, all these films were similarly accused of glorifying the drug experience. Personally, I found that a one-dimensional criticism. These films all provided fairly reasonable explanations for the motivations behind drug use to those willing to listen, as well as clear warnings about the dangers of abuse to those who were naive (or young) enough to believe that all drugs were good all the time.

Spun, on the other hand, is exactly what those films are not. It is gratuitousness at it’s most banal, blending wanton drug abuse with MTV culture, to create a vacuous and culpable feature, ready-made for the kind of audience who consider Britney Spears to be… like…. totally hot right now. Roll up, kids, look at the quirky/ cool characters snorting powder up their noses! Don’t you want to be an outsider too? After all, you’re all individuals, isn’t that right? (nod nod)

Spun is a story about three days in the life of Ross (Jason Schwartzmann). Ross, tragically still hung-up on his ex, is about to embark on three-day methamphetamine bender which will see him cross paths with a whole host of characters, with whom he shares a penchance for being a speed freak.

His descent begins when a visit to his ultra-paranoid dealer (John Leguizamo) comes up dry, and he is encouraged to go directly to the source by Cookie (a very freaky looking Mena Suvari). Soon, in exchange for more meth than he can shake a stick at, he has agreed to act as part-chauffeur/ part-chaperone for The Cook (Mickey Rourke) and his strung-out girlfriend (Brittany Murphy). Obvious really. What self-respecting drug manufacturer isn’t going to enlist the help of an absolute stranger to transport them from their lab to their customers?

What follows is essentially an opportunity for director Jonas Åkerlund to do what he is best known for and make a music video, albeit without the music. If you are looking for substance here then you should look elsewhere. Spun is 100 minutes of split scenes, close-ups, jump cuts and ‘whoosh’ sounds that will probably go some way to giving you a headache. If you believe Jonas’ camera work, being a speed freak is all about seeing things move quickly and being paranoid. Riiight.

Okay, so Spun obviously isn’t meant to be a thriller or a drama, but I’m not entirely sure if it’s supposed to be a comedy either. The characters certainly suggest an attempt at slapstick humour of some kind, however the script spectacularly lacks anything capable of eliciting even a vague chuckle. The inhabitants of this world are certainly quirky and most definitely sped-up, but it’s all a bit like watching Formula One motor racing. There’s plenty going on, but not much actually happening.

When you strip away Åkerlund’s attempt to show Hollywood what he could be capable of if only they would give him the cash, then you are left with a group of fairly good up-and-coming actors, with not a whole lot to work with. Suvari does her best to be rotten and Mickey Rourke does a commendable job of suggesting that he could be on track for a Travolta-esque comeback in the not too distant future. Murphy is also fairly good, although the Valley-Girl-junkie-gone-dizzy act does eventually grate.

When the ending finally comes, you realise you have just watched an hour and a half of paper-thin plot meander toward eventual collapse into a puddle of sickly-sweet sop. It rather makes you wonder whether the script writer might have been better off using something bigger than a beer mat to conduct his craft. Stories about losers trying to come good might work in comedy, but in an MTV-stylised film about methamphetamine users, it’s gonna be a bit of a push to pull off. To make matters worse, the ending merely underlines how annoying the film allows Schwartzmann’s Ross character to become, dooming him to become not only a neurotic private school boy gone wrong, but also a fella who couldn’t grasp a clue if he were wearing velcro gloves.

Spun is pure and simply an exercise in Åkerlund calling in a bunch of favours from (LA party?) friends in order to try and get a gig making something other than music videos. For me, Spun deserves to be pillored on three fronts. Firstly, because it is such a waste of acting talent. Secondly, because it is a waste of time and finally, because it is a blatant attempt to caricature and trivialise drug abuse (as compared to ‘use’), without any effort to help the viewer reach a moral conclusion. The message it sends out, beamed straight at Britney’s Army, is heavily stylised, yet dangerously empty and devoid of fact. Despite a good cast and a great performance from Mickey Rourke, this is thirty bucks and one hundred minutes of your life you are best holding onto.

Rating: 1.5 stars

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