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Now On DVD: Goran Dukic, Wristcutters: A Love Story

by T.O. Lawrence
11/27/2007

Goran Dukic. No, I haven't heard of him either, but it looks as if he's been making a name for himself with his new indie flick, Wristcutters: A Love Story. Starring Patrick Fugit, Tom Waits and Shannyn Sossoman and backed by a catchy and unusual soundtrack, this quirky romantic comedy has all the makings of a masterpiece but ends up relying on its understated charm rather than taking a courageous leap into brilliance.

Zia (Fugit) is a recent inductee to the land of the post-suicidal, a place where no one smiles, almost everybody is from Eastern Europe and everything is filmed in an ash-gray sepia tone. He soon embarks with his friend Eugene (Shea Whigham) and hitchhiker Mikal (Sossoman)on the way to find his newly deceased girlfriend and the elusive, white-garbed Men In Charge.

One thing you can say about Wristcutters is that there isn't a single wasted role. Every last cameo sticks with you as clearly as a Samuel Jackson walk-on. From the absent-minded Yan played by John Hawkes of Deadwood to the surly Austrian roommate a.k.a. Ethan Suplee, the irritating fat guy from American History X. The icing on the cake, though has to be Will Arnett as the Messiah, more or less reprising his role from Arrested Development and doing a damned good job at it too. But unfortunately for Dukic, cameos do not a movie make and a supporting cast isn't quite enough to make up for a dull lead.

As the depressed, gloomy nice-guy, Fugit plays his role as well as ever, but disappoints in his complete lack of range. He shows immense potential but tends to keep doing the same old thing. Don't fix what isn't broken, I guess, but don't expect anything exceptional either. Sossoman, on the other hand, literally lights up the screen with her subtle oddness and adds something interesting to the mix opposite Fugit's perpetual moping.

Wristcutter's soundtrack with its quaint, bouncy accordion and thickly accented vocals adds more character to the film in a single song than Fugit does in the entire feature. You'll find it in your skull after the movie is over with the tenacity of a warm, melted taffy and is as memorable as any image of the film.

The humor of Wristcutters is a little on the sarcastic side and compliments the darkness of the movie well. It favors a snide smirk to the belly laugh and points out that even the suicidal can have fun. Tom Waits and Shea Whigham steal the show in this respect and offer the type of sharp, dry deliveries that could make any dialogue memorable.

The real fun of the movie, however, is not in its acting or even in its humor but rather in its setting which effortlessly accentuates both. Offering all the doldrums of the real world with the added benefits of black holes under the car floorboards where lost sunglasses go, Dukic makes the everyday world into something fantastic and teaches us that small miracles are really where you find them. But unfortunately, Dukic works creatively within the boundaries rather than breaking them and seems to lack the bravery for any really interesting follow-through.

If you like a good indie flick, this is the movie to see. It gives a little bit of everything from cameos to soundtrack and offers a sharp sense of wit that's impossible to ignore. But if you're looking for something really different, then Wristcutters is not the place and though it may look like the next Wes Anderson movie, it's not and you should probably just see the Darjeeling Limited.