I know, I know. The title of this movie conjures up images of angsty teenagers, doing tons of drugs and panicking over their sexual and emotional confusion, screaming and crying until they inevitably off themselves, fade to black, cue Dashboard Confessional. Shockingly enough, there's none of that in this relatively positive, upbeat, and very quirky comedy. Well, okay, there's a bunch of suicides, but allow me to elaborate. Within the universe of Wristcutters, committing suicide sends you indefinitely to a purgatory that is exactly like the real world, only it is dirtier, grayer, and lonelier (irony, nice). Zia (Patrick Fugit, Almost Famous) slits his wrists in his bathroom sink in the very first scene of the film, then suddenly finds himself in purgatory, where he must work at a hole in the wall Pizza joint to support himself. He makes a few friends, and together they decide to drive around the countryside looking for people they know, eventually meeting a strange and very wise man named Kneller, played by Tom Waits (of course).
This movie has an excellent cast of performers, in particular Shea Whigham (Boardwalk Empire), who plays a character basically modeled after the lead singer of Gogol Bordello. Speaking of which, the movie also has a fantastic soundtrack, mostly made up of artists who have killed themselves (excluding Gogol Bordello). One of my favorite things about the film is that every time a new character is introduced we are shown a flashback of his or her suicide, some of which are humorous, some of which not so much. Highly recommended if your looking for a quirky, indie, romantic comedy, that's a little bit dark and cryptic, but still makes you feel good. Whoever thought suicide could be heartwarming?
not on instant queue
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