Added on March 22, 2013  Jasen

Michel Gondry’s The We And The I (In Theaters 3/22/13) – Reviewed

I had high hopes for this movie directed by the guy who directed Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind, but then I remembered he also directed Be Kind Rewind.

The We And The I (2013)
Directed By Michel Gondry

Let’s face it, while Gondry possesses great talent, he doesn’t make movies for anyone but himself. This is no exception.

The We And The I takes place on a Public Transit bus in the Bronx. We follow quite a large group of kids on their way home from their last day of school. The bullies sit in the back causing trouble, and picking on anyone else who comes near.

I watched this movie all the way through, but honestly would have turned it off if I wasn’t writing a review for it. To me it just really felt like Gondry was trying to make Gus Van Zant film. Slow pacing, using real people instead of actors, pointless shots and scenes that last minutes longer than they should.  I’m all for art flicks, and I can appreciate a fresh approach to cinema, but this was just masturbation on celluloid.

Gondry followed a group of art school kids for two years to make this movie. He originally got the idea for this flick while riding a bus in France and observing a group of students on their way home from school. For him it was a study in sociology. This aspect is something I can truly respect, but his adaption obviously didn’t please me.

Michel Gondry with his Gus Van Zant, and Spike Jones dolls

 

I honestly wanted to like this film, I gave it every chance I could. There were bits where I was somewhat entertained, but for me it just didn’t cut it.

Overall this film isn’t great. If you like artsy films with no real acting and no real plot or much of a script then definitely check this out.

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 10