A precocious young lad, Oliver Tate, describes his alienation and determination to get through high school into his typewriter. Around his orbit is a crush on a girl who instead of being miss popular, is the female version of himself with a monotone voice and sardonic outlook. He asks her out, she agrees and they plot to have sex like it's a science experiment.
Based on a book I've never read, this trailer feels it has literary origins, but looks more influenced by other films, most notably Wes Anderson's movie "Rushmore." Oliver's monologue and the quick scenes of his daily activities mimic the wonderful montages of mischievous student, Max, showing off his extracurricular activities at Rushmore Academy. There's even the front-facing shots where a character looks into the camera that Anderson has made a signature style. Additionally, the British setting in what looks like the late sixties echoes Anderson's choice of sprinkling his soundtracks with rock music from that era.
What's missing from "Submarine" is the drama of pursuit. In "Rushmore," Max was competing for the affections of his teacher from the wealthy alumni Bill Murray. It was a funny triangle of courtship. "Submarine" doesn't have that tension. That's not to say it needs it, but with a similar visual style, it looks like it's trying to repeat the best moments of "Rushmore" instead of being inspired by them to create something new.
Opening June 3, 2011, Verdict: Wait for the Critics
Submarine looks pretty good although the film's insistence on dead-pan dialogue (and the actors' unswerving delivery of it) may wear thin after a while. It seems that when a movie adopts a strongly unnatural (or affected) tone throughout viewers will often react in two ways - love it or hate it. If the movie works, this results in cult-film deification; examples are Napolean Dynamite, The BIg Lebowski, Rushmore, Amelie, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, etc. Viewers who love the movie will take pride in loving it and see those who don't as square. Wait for the Critics, too.
Posted by: Bobabernathy | April 30, 2011 at 10:52 AM