What does it mean to be a human? It is an age-old question, loaded with as many responses as there are people alive and dead throughout all existence. It is the kind of question that has me sighing deeply from point-blank range on any street in The States and rolling my eyes in retreat from satellite distance via a sappy, afternoon talk show.
All that aside, it is an age-old question for a reason. People are perpetually flustered by the question itself, despite the fact that it has been answered so many times over. In Kevin Smith’s (“Red State”) latest offering, “Tusk,” we have a rather unique, hypothetical approach to this topic: if you were to strip down a man to almost nothing, figuratively OR literally, and attempt to change him into something else, would he still fight to be a human or concede to full adaptation of what you tried to turn him into?
“Tusk” feels like a typical, dialogue-driven comedy at the onset of the film, but morphs into a bizarre, bedtime story and, then, into a “thrown-out” episode of some strange sci-fi/horror series of the 1990s. That can be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on what the viewer enjoys. If you are the type of individual who is not only able to laugh away awkward moments, but also relish the experience, you might just find this movie awkwardly funny or, even, appealing. If you strongly feel, as I do, that awkward moments carry positive AND negative consequences, depending on the situation, you might just find your jaw momentarily dropped, watching “Tusk,” or, even walk away from the film feeling strangely depressed and wondering what in the world you just saw. It goes a little something like this…
Once upon a time, ‘Wallace Bryton’ (Justin Long, “Movie 43”) and his esteemed podcast cohort, ‘Teddy Craft’ (Haley Joel Osment, “Montana Amazon”) planned to make a trip to Canada, from The US, in hopes of tracking down an infamously popular subject of a tasteless, online homemade video. The subject is a “no show” and Canada is, apparently, very boring when you have nothing to do. In hopes of filling the void, in more ways than one, ‘Bryton’ discovers someone new and interesting to talk to and makes his way out into the middle of nowhere to meet him. Does this sound familiar yet?
Also, left behind for the wilderness is a beautiful and sensitive, loving girlfriend, ‘Ally Leon’ (Genesis Rodriguez, “The Last Stand”). Yes, she has a deep, but not-so-dark secret, but displays more depth to the point of self-seclusion as a character in the movie. However, her performance is necessary in order to bring out the poignancy of a very important message revealed by the end of the story. Later on the trail, we get a surprise in the casting lineup. He chooses to keep his true identity a secret, at least in method, as an actor. So, I will not betray that secret. I trust, even for the casual movie-goer, it will not be too difficult of a challenge to realize who he is and when you do, it will force you to admire his relevant, comedic performance even more.
The real star of “Tusk” is the bearer of the movie title. It’s none other than Michael Parks (“Argo” and “Kill Bill”) as ‘Howard Howe.’ His diction and presence are unsettling and bothersome at first, but for all of the right reasons once the true nature of the character is on full display. He is philosophical down to the “bones” and reminded me of an older and crustier, but even crazier version of ‘Walter White.’ His plight is intense and, ultimately, tragic.
Overall, “Tusk” is, simply put, a very strange work of film. It has some good moments. At times, it lands with the jokes, but at other times it misses by a lot. Is the nature of the material too appalling to overlook at times? Maybe it is. Was Kevin Smith’s focus inadvertently taken in the wrong direction for the betterment of the movie? I really cannot say. The acting was strong, as it HAD to be for this type of story and revelation, but there few other saving graces. At the end of the day, “Tusk” is too much of a head-scratcher to make heads or tails out of, so to speak. Stay tuned for the second installment of the “True North Trilogy” in 2015.
Director: Kevin Smith
Screenwriter: Kevin Smith
Producers: William D. Johnson, Sam Engelbardt, Shannon McIntosh, and David Greathouse
Starring: Michael Parks, Justin Long, Haley Joel Osment, Genesis Rodriguez, Johnny Depp as ‘Guy Lapointe,’ Harley Morenstein as ‘Border Agent,’ and Ralph Garman as ‘Detective Frank Garmin’
Distributor: A24
Release: September 19th, 2014
