Mister Lonely

It’s my opinion that Harmony Korine has made two of the three most important films of the last 15 years: Gummo and Julien Donkey-Boy. Vincent Gallo’s The Brown Bunny is my other choice, so maybe I’m just a pretentious ass. Despite low ratings on Rotten Tomatoes, Korine’s unsullied approach drew comparison to Godard from Roger Ebert. Gummo impressed legendary maverick Werner Herzog enough to star in Korine’s next two pictures. Korine has battled intense drug addiction since the dogme 95-certified Julien Donkey-Boy, burning down two homes in the process. I saw him once and he was high, possibly on Quaaludes. Bruce LaBruce was interviewing him and wryly asked, "Where do you even get Quaaludes these days?” A question we’d all like answered. Some who despised Gummo and Julien consider Mister Lonely an improvement because of the accessible narrative, less nihilistic themes and steady, classical compositions. Written by Korine and his brother, it’s the story of a Michael Jackson look-alike who joins a commune of impersonators. Charlie Chaplin morphs into Hitler and Abe Lincoln is pure David Lynch creepiness but the methodical review of artistic sacrifice isn’t as deep as the Korines might have hoped. Mister Lonely lacks the visceral punch of his previous work and feels bland and bloated as a result. A subplot featuring a group of flying nuns and faith-filled Father Werner Herzog provides awe-inspiring visuals, however. Long takes of nuns skydiving sans parachute are straight from the Herzog canon. These exquisite moments are sporadic but make Mister Lonely worth seeing for admirers of Korine’s audacious approach. The opening sequence is the most sentimental motorcycle track scene since… The Brown Bunny. Korine can be forgiven — not every Godard movie was a good Godard movie; he failed more often than not. The bravado to force a new aesthetic is what made Godard the icon he is and Harmony Korine films so difficult and important.