I
like Clark Duke, especially during his days on Clark and Michael, but his film writing/directing
debut Arkansas, is a hollow, tired, lazy mess of a crime dramady buddy picture,
that feels like someone just saw a Coen brothers movie and thought it was
enough to fix up a first draft with an ensemble cast including John Malkovich,
and ignore tone, balance and meaning from a movie that’s more swallow and
pointlessly reckless than a slip n slide. Not to mention Clark Duke seems to
think displaying a man harassing a girl into dating him is romantic and that
calling it out as creepy makes it okay. Side note - The film shows Clark Duke
thinks women should be portrayed as stupid and helpless.
Arkansas
comes in chapters, and chapter 2 and chapter 4 are the best because they both
feel like a different film from the rest of it. A better film, one where Vince
Vaughan plays a drug dealer in the 1980s who will soon meet his brutal end - Now
that’s a movie. Instead we have to go back to the other chapters where Clark
Duke and Liam Hemsworth have to bore us to death with self assured tacky
dialogue based on a plot every beginner film student has dreamt of. Absolute
nonsense that can only work if you don’t have your head entirely up your
narcissistic incel ass.
I
like Liam Hemsworth. He’s convincing in everything he does but along Clark Duke
and this bad rip-off script, I feel bad for him because he deserves better. And
who is insane enough as Clark Duke to direct and star in a movie that requires
real emotion and conviction to give importance to, that Clark Duke himself can
NEVER deliver as the fourth in the Hot Tub Time Machine movies. Sad. And Clark,
the score for this film doesn’t help your cause and putting the Flaming Lips in
a scene, just so you can film yourself enjoying them is fucking weird. Knock it
off.
With
a talented cast, Arkansas unfortunately is a waste of massive portions, and
makes me sad and apathetic towards independent film of this kind. Thank you for
the let down, Clark. Skip Arkansas. 4/10.
P.S.
Taking from the school of writing and directing from Bradley Cooper, in that
you off yourself as a character to give the film meaning and depth, is
emotionally bankrupt and demented, not to mention extremely insulting to the
audience. Again - Knock it off, Clark.
- Maurice Jones
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