I watched this thinking it was a beloved but somewhat obscure little film, and I actually had no trouble believing that. The acting was fantastic all around (Robin Williams and Edward Norton both being borderline genius), the story and writing were both extremely clever dark comedy, and the whole thing was just generally hilarious. It was with a bit of surprise, then, that I learned that this was actually a big-budget film that flopped atrociously at the box office, receiving a fair dose of negative reviews.
Admittedly, a lot more could have been done with the premise, and in hindsight the film did feel a bit lost at times, but to me that didn't take away from it very much. "To me" are the important words in that sentence, though; I can definitely see how this film wouldn't appeal to many people. It's a dark comedy, a genre which only works with a very specific type of person. Anyone else would find it loud, vulgar, unfunny, dramatic or even confusing. If you're that type of person, you will hate this film. If, like me, you can enjoy dark comedies, this is a great and underrated one that I definitely recommend.
In a sentence:
Hilariously dark, with great, over-the-top acting and smart cynicism. Most people, however, will hate it for that.
