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SCHIZOPOLIS

Review by Gordon Justesen

Stars: Steven Soderbergh, David Jensen, Mike Mallone
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Audio: Dolby Digital Mono
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1
Studio: Criterion
Features: See Review
Length: 96 Minutes
Release Date: October 28, 2003

“In the event that you find certain sequences or ideas confusing, please bear in mind that this is your fault, not ours. You will need to see the picture again and again until you understand everything.”

Film **

I am one of many who find Steven Soderbergh to be one of the most outstanding filmmakers in today's contemporary cinema. His films are shot and edited in a unique form in order to convey the feeling of a story. For some, it's a pure original filmmaking style, and for others, it's something of a turn off, but when a director has a complete grip on the material, the result can be a work of flawless beauty. This is precisely why it's difficult to say that Schizopolis, one of the director's earlier films, rings as something of a disappointment.

The strength of this filmmaking style can be illustrated in two of Soderbergh's strongest efforts to date. 1998's Out of Sight, the razor sharp action comedy which, despite not being a box office smash, ended up being something a crossover piece for the director. Not only was it one of the best films of its kind since Pulp Fiction, but it showcased stars George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez with some of the their best performances to date, in addition to their wonderful chemistry. The specific strength in this film was the way Soderbergh, basing his narrative along the lines of Pulp Fiction, was able to cut together events in a frenzied, out-of-time fashion which was both confusing and utterly exhilarating.

Then came Soderbergh's 2002 remake of the haunting sci-fi drama Solaris, which perfected this technique most wonderfully. Although it, unfortunately, was not a big hit, it was absolutely clear by now that Soderbergh was in complete creative control of the material, since the film was filled with such a mind-bending feel about itself that would normally not be found in a mainstream release. Of course, being as cerebral as it was, many couldn't seem to embrace the fact that the movie toyed with the mind, which I think, was the absolute point.

At any rate, you're probably by now wondering why I've rambled on about two other films rather than the movie at hand. The reason for this is I felt like I needed to illustrate my admiration for Mr. Soderbergh's work with such examples, and then cutting to the notion that even the most talented of filmmakers have their ups and downs. And while it may not be at the level of Soderbergh's least appealing film to date, the wildly overrated Erin Brockovich, Schizopolis is certainly by no means anywhere near the level of Traffic or Ocean's Eleven, both of which were actually about something.

The film is nothing more than a vanity project for Soderbergh, and whatever point he was trying to make with this is beyond me. The notion of this being a vanity project couldn't be any clearer when it turns out that Soderbergh is the lead actor in the film, and is playing not one but two characters. The characters are that of Fletcher Munson, a self help guru, and Dr. Jeffery Korcheck, a dentist. These characters appear on again and off again at different points in the film, but for no extraordinary purpose other than to say such off-color phrases such as "I may not vote Republican, but I do believe in gum control."

Watching Schizopolis, I felt the same off-putting feeling I got watching the director's more recent film, Full Frontal, which was essentially, and supposedly, a documentary posing as a movie posing as a documentary, or something like that. That, too, felt more like a vanity film more than anything else, and I guess what must be learned here is that there's nothing wrong with a vanity film, just as long as there is something important to be said.

Schizopolis is a much acceptable piece of risk-taking ideas, but it's one that is not really full of too much meaning, but then again, maybe it wasn't supposed to include any.

Video ***

Criterion can no doubt make the most of any presentation, no matter what stock of film was used. Schizopolis happens to include a variety of looks to it, all of which turn up at a much pleasant level. Even the scenes that Soderbergh shot in Super 8 form aren't as dull as one would expect. I can't say it is the absolute best transfer of a Soderbergh film, but the anamorphic transfer remains nothing short of exceptional.

Audio **

You can do only so much with a Mono track, which is the lone channel supplied here by Criterion. Needless to say that you're not going to experience much pivotal speaker action. When you're limited to this type of audio format, you for the most part won't go beyond the range of the TV set. But I'm not sure that this would've been improved with a higher sound format, since the film is essentially scene after scene of brief dialogue and nothing much else. Clear for the most part in terms of dialogue, but by no means as sound stunner.

Features ***

Criterion definitely knows how to not leave a disc empty handed, as they managed to provide some good enough extras for this release. There are two commentary tracks; one with Soderbergh interviewing himself (there's a first), and the second with producer John Hardy, actor and casting director David Jensen and production sound mixer Paul Ledford. Also included is a series of outtakes titled "Maximum Body Muscle", and a trailer.

Summary:

While I'm convinced that Schizopolis is a cult favorite among some, I can't say that this exclusive list of fans includes me. Steven Soderbergh remains one of my favorite current filmmakers, but watching this I couldn't help but feel he's done so much better than this.