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HURLYBURLY Send This Review to a Friend
Well-crafted but distasteful, "Hurlyburly," with a screenplay by David Rabe based on his play, is a thoroughly obnoxious drama about a group of Hollywood men on the edge. Self-absorbed with drugs and with women to use and abuse, they are a sorry lot. As I recall the play, there was at least some humor to their destructive lives. Here they are just a mean lot with no redeeming attributes. Exceptional acting talent goes to waste.
Kevin Spacey plays the one character who seems to recognize the nastiness of the rest, and he standoffishly and malevolently baits his buddies and fancies himself superior. Sean Penn is a frenzied wreck of a human being destroying what relationship he has with his girlfriend, played by Robin Wright Penn. Chazz Palminteri is a psychological mess ready to explode into violence at any moment. Garry Shandling provides a few lighter comments, and Meg Ryan and Anna Paquin are on hand as pathetic playthings.
It is all expertly directly by Anthony Drazan, but I felt as if I needed a shower when I left. A Fine Line release.
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