Jump to content

I Heart Huckabees: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
JShanley98 (talk | contribs)
2,991 edits
No edit summary
Line 4: Line 4:
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| director = [[David O. Russell]]
| director = [[David O. Russell]]
| producer = David O. Russell<br />[[Scott Rudin]]<br />[[Gregory Goodman]]
| producer = {{Plainlist|
* [[Gregory Goodman]]
| writer = David O. Russell<br>Jeff Baena
* David O. Russell
| starring = [[Dustin Hoffman]]<br />[[Isabelle Huppert]]<br />[[Jude Law]]<br />[[Jason Schwartzman]]<br />[[Lily Tomlin]]<br>[[Mark Wahlberg]]<br />[[Naomi Watts]]
* [[Scott Rudin]]
}}
| writer = {{Plainlist|
* Jeff Baena
* David O. Russell
}}
| starring = {{Plainlist|
* [[Dustin Hoffman]]
* [[Isabelle Huppert]]
* [[Jude Law]]
* [[Jason Schwartzman]]
* [[Lily Tomlin]]
* [[Mark Wahlberg]]
* [[Naomi Watts]]
}}
| music = [[Jon Brion]]
| music = [[Jon Brion]]
| cinematography = [[Peter Deming]]
| cinematography = [[Peter Deming]]
| editing = Robert K. Lambert
| editing = Robert K. Lambert
| production companies = {{Plainlist|
| studio = [[Scott Rudin|Scott Rudin Productions]]
* [[Qwerty Films]]
* [[Scott Rudin|Scott Rudin Productions]]
}}
| distributor = [[Fox Searchlight Pictures]]
| distributor = [[Fox Searchlight Pictures]]
| released = {{Film date|2004|09|10|[[2004 Toronto International Film Festival|TIFF]]|2004|10|1}}
| released = {{Film date|2004|09|10|[[2004 Toronto International Film Festival|TIFF]]|2004|10|01}}
| runtime = 106 minutes<!--Theatrical runtime: 106:33--><ref>{{cite web | url=http://bbfc.co.uk/releases/i-heart-huckabees-2005-5 | title=''I HEART HUCKABEES'' (15) | work=[[British Board of Film Classification]] | date=October 1, 2004 | accessdate=August 20, 2015}}</ref>
| runtime = 106 minutes
| country = United States
| country = {{Plainlist|
* United States
* United Kingdom
| language = English<br />French<br />Spanish
* Germany
| budget = $20 million
| gross = $20,072,172
}}
}}
| language = {{Plainlist|

* English
'''''I <span style="color:#FF0000">♥</span> Huckabees''''' (known usually as '''''I Heart Huckabees'''''<ref>{{cite web|last=Ebert |first=Roger |url=http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20041007/REVIEWS/40920003/1023 |title=:: rogerebert.com :: Reviews :: I Heart Huckabees |publisher=Rogerebert.suntimes.com |date=2004-10-07 |accessdate=2013-10-27}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://imdb.com/title/tt0356721/ |title=I Heart Huckabees (2004) |publisher=Imdb.com |date= |accessdate=2013-10-27}}</ref><ref>[http://www.foxstore.com/detail?item=1376 I Heart Huckabees (2-Disc) DVD: Dustin Hoffman, Isabelle Huppert, Jude Law, Jason Schwartzman, David O. Russell]{{dead link|date=October 2013}}</ref> but also as '''''I Love Huckabees'''''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/tasmania/stories/s1306975.htm |title=I Love Huckabees :: Film Review :: ABC Tasmania |publisher=Abc.net.au |date=2005-02-26 |accessdate=2013-10-27}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Rainer |first=Peter |url=http://nymag.com/nymetro/movies/reviews/9335/ |title=I Love Huckabees - Going Upriver: The Long War of John Kerry. New York Magazine Movie Review |publisher=Nymag.com |date=2004-10-04 |accessdate=2013-10-27}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://imdb.com/title/tt0356721/ |title='&#39;I Heart Huckabees'&#39; |publisher=Imdb.com |date= |accessdate=2013-10-27}}</ref>) is a 2004 American [[philosophical]] [[comedy film|comedy]] film produced and directed by [[David O. Russell]], who co-wrote the screenplay with Jeff Baena.
* French
* Spanish
}}
| budget = $20 million<ref name="mojo"/>
| gross = $20.1 million<ref name="mojo"/>
}}
'''''I <span style="color:#FF0000">♥</span> Huckabees''''' (known usually as '''''I Heart Huckabees'''''<ref>{{cite web|last=Ebert |first=Roger |url=http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20041007/REVIEWS/40920003/1023 |title=:: rogerebert.com :: Reviews :: I Heart Huckabees |publisher=Rogerebert.suntimes.com |date=2004-10-07 |accessdate=2013-10-27}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://imdb.com/title/tt0356721/ |title=I Heart Huckabees (2004) |publisher=Imdb.com |date= |accessdate=2013-10-27}}</ref><ref>[http://www.foxstore.com/detail?item=1376 I Heart Huckabees (2-Disc) DVD: Dustin Hoffman, Isabelle Huppert, Jude Law, Jason Schwartzman, David O. Russell]{{dead link|date=October 2013}}</ref> but also as '''''I Love Huckabees'''''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/tasmania/stories/s1306975.htm |title=I Love Huckabees :: Film Review :: ABC Tasmania |publisher=Abc.net.au |date=2005-02-26 |accessdate=2013-10-27}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Rainer |first=Peter |url=http://nymag.com/nymetro/movies/reviews/9335/ |title=I Love Huckabees - Going Upriver: The Long War of John Kerry. New York Magazine Movie Review |publisher=Nymag.com |date=2004-10-04 |accessdate=2013-10-27}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://imdb.com/title/tt0356721/ |title='&#39;I Heart Huckabees'&#39; |publisher=Imdb.com |date= |accessdate=2013-10-27}}</ref>) is a 2004 [[philosophical]] [[comedy-drama]] film produced and directed by [[David O. Russell]], who co-wrote the screenplay with Jeff Baena.


The film stars an [[ensemble cast]] consisting of [[Dustin Hoffman]], [[Isabelle Huppert]], [[Jude Law]], [[Jason Schwartzman]], [[Lily Tomlin]], [[Mark Wahlberg]], and [[Naomi Watts]].
The film stars an [[ensemble cast]] consisting of [[Dustin Hoffman]], [[Isabelle Huppert]], [[Jude Law]], [[Jason Schwartzman]], [[Lily Tomlin]], [[Mark Wahlberg]], and [[Naomi Watts]].


==Plot==
==Plot==
Albert Markovski (Schwartzman) is a young man who heads the local chapter of an environmental group, the "Open Spaces Coalition." One of their current projects is an attempt to stop the building of a new Huckabees store, a chain of "[[big-box store|big-box]]" department stores. Albert is a rival of Brad Stand (Law), a shallow power executive at Huckabees. Brad infiltrates Open Spaces and charismatically displaces Albert as the leader. Dawn Campbell (Watts) is Brad's live-in girlfriend and the face and voice of Huckabees; she appears in all of the store's commercials.
Albert Markovski ([[Jason Schwartzman]]) is a young man who heads the local chapter of an environmental group, the "Open Spaces Coalition". One of their current projects is an attempt to stop the building of a new Huckabees store, a chain of "[[Big-box store|big-box]]" department stores. Albert is a rival of Brad Stand ([[Jude Law]]), a shallow power executive at Huckabees. Brad infiltrates Open Spaces and charismatically displaces Albert as the leader. Dawn Campbell ([[Naomi Watts]]) is Brad's live-in girlfriend and the face and voice of Huckabees; she appears in all of the store's commercials.


After seeing the same conspicuous stranger three times, Albert contacts two [[Existentialism|existential]] detectives, Bernard and Vivian Jaffe (Hoffman and Tomlin). The detectives offer Albert their optimistic brand of existentialism—they name it ''universal interconnectivity'' (which has some tenets of [[Romanticism|romantic]] and [[Transcendentalism|transcendentalist]] philosophies)—and spy on him, ostensibly to help him solve the coincidence. Bernard and Vivian introduce Albert to Tommy Corn (Wahlberg), an obsessively anti-petroleum firefighter. Tommy is assigned to Albert as his [[Other]].
After seeing the same conspicuous stranger three times, Albert contacts two [[Existentialism|existential]] detectives, Bernard ([[Dustin Hoffman]]) and Vivian Jaffe ([[Lily Tomlin]]). The detectives offer Albert their optimistic brand of existentialism—they name it ''universal interconnectivity'' (which has some tenets of [[Romanticism|romantic]] and [[Transcendentalism|transcendentalist]] philosophies)—and spy on him, ostensibly to help him solve the coincidence. Bernard and Vivian introduce Albert to Tommy Corn ([[Mark Wahlberg]]), an obsessively anti-petroleum firefighter. Tommy is assigned to Albert as his [[Other]].


Tommy grows dissatisfied with the Jaffes, feeling that they are not helping him. Seeking out other possibilities, Tommy ends up abandoning and undermining the Jaffes by introducing Albert to Caterine Vauban (Huppert), a former student of the Jaffes who espouses a seemingly opposing [[Nihilism|nihilistic]]/[[Absurdism|absurdist]] philosophy. She teaches them to disconnect their inner beings from their daily lives and their problems, to synthesize a non-thinking state of "pure being." Being lifted from their troubles, they wish to keep that feeling forever, yet she tells them that it is inevitable to be drawn back to the human drama, and to understand that the core truth of that drama is misery and meaninglessness. In order to prove her point, Caterine takes Albert to go and have sex in the woods, leaving Tommy behind. Tommy finds out about the two of them being together and feels hurt. Caterine tells him that they found each other through all of the human suffering and drama. Tommy rejects this idea and leaves them furious and lost. Meanwhile, in Brad's further attempts to undercut Albert, he and Dawn meet with and are influenced by Bernard and Vivian. In the following days, Brad and Dawn rethink their entire lives: Dawn rejects the modeling world and looks for deeper meaning, and Brad realizes that his whole ascent in the corporate ladder is meaningless, as he has lived his whole life just trying to please others and not himself.
Tommy grows dissatisfied with the Jaffes, feeling that they are not helping him. Seeking out other possibilities, Tommy ends up abandoning and undermining the Jaffes by introducing Albert to Caterine Vauban ([[Isabelle Huppert]]), a former student of the Jaffes who espouses a seemingly opposing [[Nihilism|nihilistic]]/[[Absurdism|absurdist]] philosophy. She teaches them to disconnect their inner beings from their daily lives and their problems, to synthesize a non-thinking state of "pure being." Being lifted from their troubles, they wish to keep that feeling forever, yet she tells them that it is inevitable to be drawn back to the human drama, and to understand that the core truth of that drama is misery and meaninglessness. In order to prove her point, Caterine takes Albert to go and have sex in the woods, leaving Tommy behind. Tommy finds out about the two of them being together and feels hurt. Caterine tells him that they found each other through all of the human suffering and drama. Tommy rejects this idea and leaves them furious and lost. Meanwhile, in Brad's further attempts to undercut Albert, he and Dawn meet with and are influenced by Bernard and Vivian. In the following days, Brad and Dawn rethink their entire lives: Dawn rejects the modeling world and looks for deeper meaning, and Brad realizes that his whole ascent in the corporate ladder is meaningless, as he has lived his whole life just trying to please others and not himself.


All the storylines collide when Brad's house catches fire. While the fire trucks get stuck in a traffic jam, Tommy comes on his bicycle to put out the fire, which incidentally trapped Dawn inside. As he saves her life, the two fall in love. Meanwhile, Brad despairs at the destruction of his house, the symbol of his material success. Albert attains a sort of [[Enlightenment (spiritual)|enlightenment]] when he synthesizes the two opposing outlooks of the Jaffes and Vauban to realize the cosmic truth of everything. Brad, meanwhile, is fired from Huckabees, leaving him rudderless. Albert reveals to Brad that he burned Brad's jet skis, and the fire spread to the house. Albert understands that he and Brad are no different, that everything really is inextricably connected, but that these connections necessarily arise from the often senselessly painful reality of human existence. Having realized this, he refers Brad to Caterine, hoping she will help him as she did Albert and Tommy. Albert and Tommy talk later about everything that has happened. As the two talk, Caterine and the Jaffes watch them, concluding that they can close both of their cases.
All the storylines collide when Brad's house catches fire. While the fire trucks get stuck in a traffic jam, Tommy comes on his bicycle to put out the fire, which incidentally trapped Dawn inside. As he saves her life, the two fall in love. Meanwhile, Brad despairs at the destruction of his house, the symbol of his material success. Albert attains a sort of [[Enlightenment (spiritual)|enlightenment]] when he synthesizes the two opposing outlooks of the Jaffes and Vauban to realize the cosmic truth of everything. Brad, meanwhile, is fired from Huckabees, leaving him rudderless. Albert reveals to Brad that he burned Brad's jet skis, and the fire spread to the house. Albert understands that he and Brad are no different, that everything really is inextricably connected, but that these connections necessarily arise from the often senselessly painful reality of human existence. Having realized this, he refers Brad to Caterine, hoping she will help him as she did Albert and Tommy. Albert and Tommy talk later about everything that has happened. As the two talk, Caterine and the Jaffes watch them, concluding that they can close both of their cases.


===Director commentary===
===Director commentary===
In an interview with the [[SuicideGirls]] website, director David Russell said in response to the question "How do you describe ''I Heart Huckabees''?": {{cquote|Here’s how I described it to the people who financed the movie: Dustin Hoffman and Lily Tomlin are existential detectives who you could hire to investigate the meaning of your life. They are formal, they wear suits, they are Paris-trained and their clients include Jude Law, Naomi Watts, Jason Schwartzman and Mark Wahlberg. Their ostensible nemesis is Isabelle Huppert. Hilarity ensues.<ref>{{cite web|author=|url=http://suicidegirls.com/interviews/David+O.+Russell |title=Interview with David O. Russell |publisher=SuicideGirls |date=2004-10-05 |accessdate=2013-10-27}}</ref>}}
In an interview with the [[SuicideGirls]] website, director Russell said in response to the question "How do you describe ''I Heart Huckabees''?": {{cquote|Here’s how I described it to the people who financed the movie: Dustin Hoffman and Lily Tomlin are existential detectives who you could hire to investigate the meaning of your life. They are formal, they wear suits, they are Paris-trained and their clients include Jude Law, Naomi Watts, Jason Schwartzman and Mark Wahlberg. Their ostensible nemesis is Isabelle Huppert. Hilarity ensues.<ref>{{cite web|author=|url=http://suicidegirls.com/interviews/David+O.+Russell |title=Interview with David O. Russell |publisher=SuicideGirls |date=2004-10-05 |accessdate=2013-10-27}}</ref>}}


==Cast==
==Cast==
{{div col|5}}
*[[Dustin Hoffman]] as Bernard Jaffe
*[[Isabelle Huppert]] as Caterine Vauban
* [[Dustin Hoffman]] as Bernard Jaffe
*[[Jude Law]] as Brad Stand
* [[Isabelle Huppert]] as Caterine Vauban
*[[Jason Schwartzman]] as Albert Markovski
* [[Jude Law]] as Brad Stand
*[[Lily Tomlin]] as Vivian Jaffe
* [[Jason Schwartzman]] as Albert Markovski
*[[Mark Wahlberg]] as Tommy Corn
* [[Lily Tomlin]] as Vivian Jaffe
*[[Naomi Watts]] as Dawn Campbell
* [[Mark Wahlberg]] as Tommy Corn
* [[Naomi Watts]] as Dawn Campbell
* [[Ger Duany]] as Stephen Nimieri
* [[Isla Fisher]] as Heather
* Sydney Zarp as Cricket Hooten
* [[Jonah Hill]] as Bret Hooten
* [[Richard Jenkins]] (''uncredited'') as Mr. Hooten
* [[Darlene Hunt]] as Darlene
* [[Kevin Dunn]] as Marty
* Benny Hernandez as Davy
* [[Richard Appel]] as Josh
* Benjamin Nurick as Harrison
* [[Jake Muxworthy]] as Tim
* [[Tippi Hedren]] as Mary Jane Hutchinson
* Altagracia Guzman as Mrs. Echevarria
* [[Saïd Taghmaoui]] as Translator
* [[Bob Gunton]] as Mr. Silver
* [[Talia Shire]] as Mrs. Silver
* [[Jean Smart]] as Mrs. Hooten
* [[Shania Twain]] as herself
{{div col end}}


==Production==
===Supporting cast===
In March 2007, two videos were leaked onto [[YouTube]] portraying on-set arguments between Russell and Tomlin. When the ''[[Miami New Times]]'' asked Tomlin about the videos, she responded, "I love David. There was a lot of pressure in making the movie—even the way it came out you could see it was a very free-associative, crazy movie, and David was under a tremendous amount of pressure. And he's a very free-form kind of guy anyway."<ref>{{cite web|title=What a Character. She's had her brush with online infamy. Now Lily Tomlin is ready to make you laugh again|first=Frank|last=Houston|date=April 12, 2007|url=http://www.miaminewtimes.com/2007-04-12/culture/what-a-character/}}</ref>
*[[Ger Duany]] as Stephen Nimieri
*[[Isla Fisher]] as Heather
*Sydney Zarp as Cricket Hooten
*[[Darlene Hunt]] as Darlene
*[[Kevin Dunn]] as Marty
*Benny Hernandez as Davy
*[[Richard Appel]] as Josh
*Benjamin Nurick as Harrison
*[[Jake Muxworthy]] as Tim
*[[Tippi Hedren]] as Mary Jane Hutchinson
*Altagracia Guzman as Mrs. Echevarria
*[[Saïd Taghmaoui]] as Translator
*[[Bob Gunton]] as Mr. Silver
*[[Talia Shire]] as Mrs. Silver
*[[Jean Smart]] as Mrs. Hooten
*[[Jonah Hill]] as Bret Hooten (film debut)
*[[Shania Twain]] as herself
*[[Richard Jenkins]] as Mr. Hooten (uncredited)


==Reception==
==Release==
===Marketing===
The film opened October 1, 2004, with a $73,044 per screen average in [[New York]] and [[Los Angeles]]. Critical opinion for the film was mixed to positive. The film was rated 62% "fresh" on [[Rotten Tomatoes]]. Some critics were displeased with the existential subject matter and said the script was unfocused,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/i_heart_huckabees/reviews/?sort=rotten |title=Negative reviews of 'i ♥ huckabees' |author=RT Critics |accessdate=July 24, 2013}}</ref> while others celebrated its performances (especially Wahlberg as Tommy Corn) and originality.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/i_heart_huckabees/reviews/?sort=fresh |title=Favorable reviews of 'i ♥ huckabees' |author=RT Critics |accessdate=July 24, 2013}}</ref>
In an advertising campaign for the film, four fictional websites were created. They were portrayed as if they were actual websites involving the characters and organizations featured in the film. Each website had a link called "Disclaimer" at the bottom that leads to FOX Searchlight's [http://www2.foxsearchlight.com/huckabees/ official website] for the film. Websites were rendered inactive a few months after release, each now redirecting to FOX Searchlight's website.
* '''Huckabees Corporation''':<ref>{{Wayback |date=20050305055354 |url=http://www.huckabees.com/ |title=The Huckabees Corporation }}</ref> The "official" website for the chain of Huckabees stores. Featured the store history, announcements, three television ads featuring Dawn Campbell, and a banner promoting the Huckabees collaboration with the Open Spaces Coalition.
* '''Open Spaces Coalition''':<ref>{{Wayback |date=20050307200045 |url=http://www.open-spaces.org/ |title=Open Spaces Coalition }}</ref> This website described the importance of the marshlands Albert Markovski is trying to protect, ways of aiding the cause. The site also contained poetry written by Markovski and downloadable flyers.
* '''Existential Detectives''':<ref>{{Wayback |date=20050307103802 |url=http://www.jaffeandjaffe.com/ |title=Jaffe & Jaffe, Existential Detectives}}</ref> The website promoting the Jaffes' detective agency. It explained the methodology of the detectives, had two case studies and an online questionnaire.
* '''Caterine Vauban''':<ref>{{Wayback |date=20070608192125 |url=http://www.caterinevauban.com/ |title=Caterine Vauban }}</ref> The website of Caterine Vauban, author of "If Not Now". The site contained reviews and excerpts from the book.


===Box office===
Worldwide box office taken in for the film is $20,072,172 as of June 2009.
''I Heart Huckabees'' opened in a [[limited release]] on October 1, 2004, earning $292,177 and ranking number 24 in the weekend's box office.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?yr=2004&wknd=40&p=.htm | title=Weekend Box Office Results for October 1-3, 2004 | work=[[Box Office Mojo]] | publisher=[[Internet Movie Database]] | date=October 4, 2004 | accessdate=August 20, 2015}}</ref> The film was granted a [[wide release]] three weeks later on October 22, earning $2,902,468, ranking tenth in the box office.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?yr=2004&wknd=43&p=.htm | title=Weekend Box Office Results for October 22-24, 2004 | work=[[Box Office Mojo]] | publisher=[[Internet Movie Database]] | date=October 25, 2004 | accessdate=August 20, 2015}}</ref> At the end of its run, the film grossed $12,785,432 domestically and $7,286,740 overseas for a worldwide total of $20,072,172.<ref name="mojo">{{cite web | url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=ihearthuckabees.htm | title=I Heart Huckabees (2004) | work=[[Box Office Mojo]] | publisher=[[Internet Movie Database]] | date=February 25, 2005 | accessdate=August 20, 2015}}</ref>


===Critical reception===
==Marketing==
The film received mixed to positive reviews from critics. [[Review aggregator]] website [[Rotten Tomatoes]] gives the film a 62% rating based on 187 reviews.<ref>{{cite web | url=www.rottentomatoes.com/m/i_heart_huckabees/ | title=I Heart Huckabees | work=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] | publisher=[[Flixster]] | accessdate=August 20, 2015}}</ref> [[Metacritic]] reports a 55 out of 100 rating based on 40 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.metacritic.com/movie/i-heart-huckabees | title=I Heart Huckabees | work=[[Metacritic]] | publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] | accessdate=August 20, 2015}}</ref>
In an advertising campaign for the film, four fictional websites were created. They were portrayed as if they were actual websites involving the characters and organizations featured in the movie. Each website had a link called "Disclaimer" at the bottom that leads to FOX Searchlight's [http://www2.foxsearchlight.com/huckabees/ official website] for the film. Websites were rendered inactive a few months after the film's release, each now redirecting to FOX Searchlight's website.

*'''Huckabees Corporation''':<ref>{{Wayback |date=20050305055354 |url=http://www.huckabees.com/ |title=The Huckabees Corporation }}</ref> The "official" website for the chain of Huckabees stores. Featured the store history, announcements, three television ads featuring Dawn Campbell and a banner promoting the Huckabees collaboration with the Open Spaces Coalition.
Some critics were displeased with the existential subject matter and said the script was unfocused,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/i_heart_huckabees/reviews/?sort=rotten |title=Negative reviews of 'i ♥ huckabees' |author=RT Critics |accessdate=July 24, 2013}}</ref> while others celebrated its performances (especially Wahlberg as Tommy Corn) and originality.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/i_heart_huckabees/reviews/?sort=fresh |title=Favorable reviews of 'i ♥ huckabees' |author=RT Critics |accessdate=July 24, 2013}}</ref>
*'''Open Spaces Coalition''':<ref>{{Wayback |date=20050307200045 |url=http://www.open-spaces.org/ |title=Open Spaces Coalition }}</ref> This website described the importance of the marshlands Albert Markovski is trying to protect, ways of aiding the cause. The site also contained poetry written by Markovski and downloadable flyers.
*'''Existential Detectives''':<ref>{{Wayback |date=20050307103802 |url=http://www.jaffeandjaffe.com/ |title=Jaffe & Jaffe, Existential Detectives}}</ref> The website promoting the Jaffes' detective agency. It explained the methodology of the detectives, had two case studies and an online questionnaire.
*'''Caterine Vauban''':<ref>{{Wayback |date=20070608192125 |url=http://www.caterinevauban.com/ |title=Caterine Vauban }}</ref> The website of Caterine Vauban, author of "If Not Now". The site contained reviews and excerpts from the book.


==Soundtrack==
==Soundtrack==
Line 85: Line 117:


Many cues used in the film feature a [[Chamberlin]], a keyboard instrument from the 1950s that replicates instrumental sounds using recorded tape.
Many cues used in the film feature a [[Chamberlin]], a keyboard instrument from the 1950s that replicates instrumental sounds using recorded tape.

==Tension during filming==
In March 2007, two videos were leaked onto [[YouTube]] portraying on-set arguments between David O. Russell and Lily Tomlin. When the ''[[Miami New Times]]'' asked Tomlin about the videos, she responded, "I love David. There was a lot of pressure in making the movie—even the way it came out you could see it was a very free-associative, crazy movie, and David was under a tremendous amount of pressure. And he's a very free-form kind of guy anyway."<ref>{{cite web|title=What a Character. She's had her brush with online infamy. Now Lily Tomlin is ready to make you laugh again|first=Frank|last=Houston|date=April 12, 2007|url=http://www.miaminewtimes.com/2007-04-12/culture/what-a-character/}}</ref>


==See also==
==See also==
*[[Albert Camus]]
* [[Albert Camus]]
*[[Deconstruction]]
* [[Deconstruction]]
*[[Dialectical monism]]
* [[Dialectical monism]]
*[[Dirk Gently]]
* [[Dirk Gently]]
*[[Friedrich Nietzsche]]
* [[Friedrich Nietzsche]]
*[[Magritte]]
* [[Magritte]]
*[[Isabelle Huppert filmography]]
* [[Isabelle Huppert filmography]]
*[[Synchronicity]]
* [[Synchronicity]]


==References==
==References==
Line 105: Line 134:
{{wikiquote}}
{{wikiquote}}
* {{official website|http://www.foxsearchlight.com/ihearthuckabees/}}
* {{official website|http://www.foxsearchlight.com/ihearthuckabees/}}
* {{IMDb title|id=0356721|title=I Heart Huckabees}}
* {{IMDb title|0356721|I Heart Huckabees}}
* {{Amg movie|288551|I Heart Huckabees}}
* {{Box Office Mojo|ihearthuckabees|I Heart Huckabees}}
* {{rotten-tomatoes|id=i_heart_huckabees|title=I Heart Huckabees}}
* {{Rotten Tomatoes|i_heart_huckabees|I Heart Huckabees}}
* {{Metacritic||I Heart Huckabees}}
* [http://www.offscreen.com/biblio/phile/essays/huckabees/ Essay on ''I Heart Huckabees'' from a philosophical perspective]
* [http://www.offscreen.com/biblio/phile/essays/huckabees/ Essay on ''I Heart Huckabees'' from a philosophical perspective]


{{David O. Russell}}
{{David O. Russell}}
{{Scott Rudin}}
{{Scott Rudin}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:I Heart Huckabees}}

[[Category:2004 films]]
[[Category:2004 films]]
[[Category:2000s comedy films]]
[[Category:American films]]
[[Category:American films]]
[[Category:American comedy films]]
[[Category:British films]]
[[Category:German films]]
[[Category:English-language films]]
[[Category:English-language films]]
[[Category:French-language films]]
[[Category:Spanish-language films]]
[[Category:2000s comedy-drama films]]
[[Category:American comedy-drama films]]
[[Category:British comedy-drama films]]
[[Category:German comedy films]]
[[Category:Environmental films]]
[[Category:Environmental films]]
[[Category:Existentialist works]]
[[Category:Existentialist works]]
[[Category:Films about philosophy]]
[[Category:Films about philosophy]]
[[Category:Films directed by David O. Russell]]
[[Category:Films directed by David O. Russell]]
[[Category:Fox Searchlight Pictures films]]
[[Category:Films produced by Scott Rudin]]
[[Category:Films produced by Scott Rudin]]
[[Category:Films shot in California]]
[[Category:Films shot in Los Angeles, California]]
[[Category:Qwerty Films films]]
[[Category:Qwerty Films films]]
[[Category:Fox Searchlight Pictures films]]

Revision as of 04:04, 21 August 2015

I ♥ Huckabees
Theatrical release poster
Directed byDavid O. Russell
Written by
  • Jeff Baena
  • David O. Russell
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyPeter Deming
Edited byRobert K. Lambert
Music byJon Brion
Distributed byFox Searchlight Pictures
Release dates
  • September 10, 2004 (2004-09-10) (TIFF)
  • October 1, 2004 (2004-10-01)
Running time
106 minutes[1]
Countries
  • United States
  • United Kingdom
  • Germany
Languages
  • English
  • French
  • Spanish
Budget$20 million[2]
Box office$20.1 million[2]

I ♥ Huckabees (known usually as I Heart Huckabees[3][4][5] but also as I Love Huckabees[6][7][8]) is a 2004 philosophical comedy-drama film produced and directed by David O. Russell, who co-wrote the screenplay with Jeff Baena.

The film stars an ensemble cast consisting of Dustin Hoffman, Isabelle Huppert, Jude Law, Jason Schwartzman, Lily Tomlin, Mark Wahlberg, and Naomi Watts.

Plot

Albert Markovski (Jason Schwartzman) is a young man who heads the local chapter of an environmental group, the "Open Spaces Coalition". One of their current projects is an attempt to stop the building of a new Huckabees store, a chain of "big-box" department stores. Albert is a rival of Brad Stand (Jude Law), a shallow power executive at Huckabees. Brad infiltrates Open Spaces and charismatically displaces Albert as the leader. Dawn Campbell (Naomi Watts) is Brad's live-in girlfriend and the face and voice of Huckabees; she appears in all of the store's commercials.

After seeing the same conspicuous stranger three times, Albert contacts two existential detectives, Bernard (Dustin Hoffman) and Vivian Jaffe (Lily Tomlin). The detectives offer Albert their optimistic brand of existentialism—they name it universal interconnectivity (which has some tenets of romantic and transcendentalist philosophies)—and spy on him, ostensibly to help him solve the coincidence. Bernard and Vivian introduce Albert to Tommy Corn (Mark Wahlberg), an obsessively anti-petroleum firefighter. Tommy is assigned to Albert as his Other.

Tommy grows dissatisfied with the Jaffes, feeling that they are not helping him. Seeking out other possibilities, Tommy ends up abandoning and undermining the Jaffes by introducing Albert to Caterine Vauban (Isabelle Huppert), a former student of the Jaffes who espouses a seemingly opposing nihilistic/absurdist philosophy. She teaches them to disconnect their inner beings from their daily lives and their problems, to synthesize a non-thinking state of "pure being." Being lifted from their troubles, they wish to keep that feeling forever, yet she tells them that it is inevitable to be drawn back to the human drama, and to understand that the core truth of that drama is misery and meaninglessness. In order to prove her point, Caterine takes Albert to go and have sex in the woods, leaving Tommy behind. Tommy finds out about the two of them being together and feels hurt. Caterine tells him that they found each other through all of the human suffering and drama. Tommy rejects this idea and leaves them furious and lost. Meanwhile, in Brad's further attempts to undercut Albert, he and Dawn meet with and are influenced by Bernard and Vivian. In the following days, Brad and Dawn rethink their entire lives: Dawn rejects the modeling world and looks for deeper meaning, and Brad realizes that his whole ascent in the corporate ladder is meaningless, as he has lived his whole life just trying to please others and not himself.

All the storylines collide when Brad's house catches fire. While the fire trucks get stuck in a traffic jam, Tommy comes on his bicycle to put out the fire, which incidentally trapped Dawn inside. As he saves her life, the two fall in love. Meanwhile, Brad despairs at the destruction of his house, the symbol of his material success. Albert attains a sort of enlightenment when he synthesizes the two opposing outlooks of the Jaffes and Vauban to realize the cosmic truth of everything. Brad, meanwhile, is fired from Huckabees, leaving him rudderless. Albert reveals to Brad that he burned Brad's jet skis, and the fire spread to the house. Albert understands that he and Brad are no different, that everything really is inextricably connected, but that these connections necessarily arise from the often senselessly painful reality of human existence. Having realized this, he refers Brad to Caterine, hoping she will help him as she did Albert and Tommy. Albert and Tommy talk later about everything that has happened. As the two talk, Caterine and the Jaffes watch them, concluding that they can close both of their cases.

Director commentary

In an interview with the SuicideGirls website, director Russell said in response to the question "How do you describe I Heart Huckabees?":

Here’s how I described it to the people who financed the movie: Dustin Hoffman and Lily Tomlin are existential detectives who you could hire to investigate the meaning of your life. They are formal, they wear suits, they are Paris-trained and their clients include Jude Law, Naomi Watts, Jason Schwartzman and Mark Wahlberg. Their ostensible nemesis is Isabelle Huppert. Hilarity ensues.[9]

Cast

Production

In March 2007, two videos were leaked onto YouTube portraying on-set arguments between Russell and Tomlin. When the Miami New Times asked Tomlin about the videos, she responded, "I love David. There was a lot of pressure in making the movie—even the way it came out you could see it was a very free-associative, crazy movie, and David was under a tremendous amount of pressure. And he's a very free-form kind of guy anyway."[10]

Release

Marketing

In an advertising campaign for the film, four fictional websites were created. They were portrayed as if they were actual websites involving the characters and organizations featured in the film. Each website had a link called "Disclaimer" at the bottom that leads to FOX Searchlight's official website for the film. Websites were rendered inactive a few months after release, each now redirecting to FOX Searchlight's website.

  • Huckabees Corporation:[11] The "official" website for the chain of Huckabees stores. Featured the store history, announcements, three television ads featuring Dawn Campbell, and a banner promoting the Huckabees collaboration with the Open Spaces Coalition.
  • Open Spaces Coalition:[12] This website described the importance of the marshlands Albert Markovski is trying to protect, ways of aiding the cause. The site also contained poetry written by Markovski and downloadable flyers.
  • Existential Detectives:[13] The website promoting the Jaffes' detective agency. It explained the methodology of the detectives, had two case studies and an online questionnaire.
  • Caterine Vauban:[14] The website of Caterine Vauban, author of "If Not Now". The site contained reviews and excerpts from the book.

Box office

I Heart Huckabees opened in a limited release on October 1, 2004, earning $292,177 and ranking number 24 in the weekend's box office.[15] The film was granted a wide release three weeks later on October 22, earning $2,902,468, ranking tenth in the box office.[16] At the end of its run, the film grossed $12,785,432 domestically and $7,286,740 overseas for a worldwide total of $20,072,172.[2]

Critical reception

The film received mixed to positive reviews from critics. Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a 62% rating based on 187 reviews.[17] Metacritic reports a 55 out of 100 rating based on 40 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[18]

Some critics were displeased with the existential subject matter and said the script was unfocused,[19] while others celebrated its performances (especially Wahlberg as Tommy Corn) and originality.[20]

Soundtrack

Main article: I Heart Huckabees (soundtrack)

Jon Brion provided the score and seven original songs for the film. His unique methods for writing previous film scores (Punch-Drunk Love, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) involved very close collaboration with the director. Through this process, David O. Russell was able to sit in the same room with Brion and watch an early cut of the film. Russell described what he wanted to portray and Brion would compose music to Russell's descriptions. The process can be seen on a featurette on the film's special edition DVD.

David O. Russell, while working with Brion, had come across Brion's first solo album, Meaningless. Russell has mentioned that Brion's album asks similar questions to the ones Russell was trying to ask with I Heart Huckabees. In particular, Russell notes that the questions on Meaningless are closer to the questions directed from Caterine Vauban's negative and dark point of view.

Many cues used in the film feature a Chamberlin, a keyboard instrument from the 1950s that replicates instrumental sounds using recorded tape.

See also

References

  1. ^ "I HEART HUCKABEES (15)". British Board of Film Classification. October 1, 2004. Retrieved August 20, 2015.
  2. ^ a b c "I Heart Huckabees (2004)". Box Office Mojo. Internet Movie Database. February 25, 2005. Retrieved August 20, 2015.
  3. ^ Ebert, Roger (2004-10-07). ":: rogerebert.com :: Reviews :: I Heart Huckabees". Rogerebert.suntimes.com. Retrieved 2013-10-27.
  4. ^ "I Heart Huckabees (2004)". Imdb.com. Retrieved 2013-10-27.
  5. ^ I Heart Huckabees (2-Disc) DVD: Dustin Hoffman, Isabelle Huppert, Jude Law, Jason Schwartzman, David O. Russell[dead link]
  6. ^ "I Love Huckabees :: Film Review :: ABC Tasmania". Abc.net.au. 2005-02-26. Retrieved 2013-10-27.
  7. ^ Rainer, Peter (2004-10-04). "I Love Huckabees - Going Upriver: The Long War of John Kerry. New York Magazine Movie Review". Nymag.com. Retrieved 2013-10-27.
  8. ^ "''I Heart Huckabees''". Imdb.com. Retrieved 2013-10-27.
  9. ^ "Interview with David O. Russell". SuicideGirls. 2004-10-05. Retrieved 2013-10-27.
  10. ^ Houston, Frank (April 12, 2007). "What a Character. She's had her brush with online infamy. Now Lily Tomlin is ready to make you laugh again".
  11. ^ Archived 2005-03-05 at the Wayback Machine
  12. ^ Archived 2005-03-07 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ Archived 2005-03-07 at the Wayback Machine
  14. ^ Archived 2007-06-08 at the Wayback Machine
  15. ^ "Weekend Box Office Results for October 1-3, 2004". Box Office Mojo. Internet Movie Database. October 4, 2004. Retrieved August 20, 2015.
  16. ^ "Weekend Box Office Results for October 22-24, 2004". Box Office Mojo. Internet Movie Database. October 25, 2004. Retrieved August 20, 2015.
  17. ^ [www.rottentomatoes.com/m/i_heart_huckabees/ "I Heart Huckabees"]. Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved August 20, 2015. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  18. ^ "I Heart Huckabees". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved August 20, 2015.
  19. ^ RT Critics. "Negative reviews of 'i ♥ huckabees'". Retrieved July 24, 2013.
  20. ^ RT Critics. "Favorable reviews of 'i ♥ huckabees'". Retrieved July 24, 2013.
Wikiquote has quotations related to I Heart Huckabees.

Template:Scott Rudin

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=I_Heart_Huckabees&oldid=677103472"