Published: Friday, September 11, 2009
Crazy ‘Confessions’ from Van Peebles of 'Sweetback' fame
It’s an odd coincidence that two veteran filmmakers star on screen in their movies opening this week. They couldn’t come from more disparate worlds.
“The Beaches of Agnes” is about the life of Agnes Varda, born in Brussels in 1928 and a member of the European avant-garde for decades.
“Confessions of a Ex-Doofus-Itchyfooted Mutha” could only come from the mind of Melvin Van Peebles, born in Chicago in 1932. This is the kind of crazy fantasia you’d expect from the director of the landmark African-American indie “Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song,” which came out in 1971.
“Confessions,” which previously appeared as a graphic novel, tells the tale of a poor Chicago lad who dreams of sailing away “to the ends of the earth.”
After a series of coincidental detours (hitching a ride to “the tropics” while running away from home, he ends up in New York because of a shifty truck driver), the hero really does make it to exotic lands.
He spends years in the Merchant Marine before deciding to go to Africa, where he gets involved in social-political unrest (the only section of the film that doesn’t come to life, and, unfortunately, the longest section).
The thing to understand about this oddball mess of a movie is that Melvin Van Peebles narrates it and plays the lead character — from adolescence to adulthood. You might expect that seeing a man in his late 70s play a teenager would change the experience of watching the movie. You’d be right.
But the very craziness of the ploy actually transforms “Confessions” into something. Van Peebles is such an engaging, mischievous presence, he makes it seem perfectly natural to play a kid.
Clearly, the man is still gifted with inordinate energy: he not only wrote and directed the movie, he also wrote the many songs on the soundtrack. He dances a little, too.
“Confessions” is shot on cheap video, amateurishly acted (except for MVP) and doesn’t try to build any actual movie suspense; watching it is more like going to a book reading and having the author enact all the parts as he’s telling his story.
This format would work better if Van Peebles gave us his straight autobiography. Maybe next time.
“The Beaches of Agnes” is about the life of Agnes Varda, born in Brussels in 1928 and a member of the European avant-garde for decades.
“Confessions of a Ex-Doofus-Itchyfooted Mutha” could only come from the mind of Melvin Van Peebles, born in Chicago in 1932. This is the kind of crazy fantasia you’d expect from the director of the landmark African-American indie “Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song,” which came out in 1971.
“Confessions,” which previously appeared as a graphic novel, tells the tale of a poor Chicago lad who dreams of sailing away “to the ends of the earth.”
After a series of coincidental detours (hitching a ride to “the tropics” while running away from home, he ends up in New York because of a shifty truck driver), the hero really does make it to exotic lands.
He spends years in the Merchant Marine before deciding to go to Africa, where he gets involved in social-political unrest (the only section of the film that doesn’t come to life, and, unfortunately, the longest section).
The thing to understand about this oddball mess of a movie is that Melvin Van Peebles narrates it and plays the lead character — from adolescence to adulthood. You might expect that seeing a man in his late 70s play a teenager would change the experience of watching the movie. You’d be right.
But the very craziness of the ploy actually transforms “Confessions” into something. Van Peebles is such an engaging, mischievous presence, he makes it seem perfectly natural to play a kid.
Clearly, the man is still gifted with inordinate energy: he not only wrote and directed the movie, he also wrote the many songs on the soundtrack. He dances a little, too.
“Confessions” is shot on cheap video, amateurishly acted (except for MVP) and doesn’t try to build any actual movie suspense; watching it is more like going to a book reading and having the author enact all the parts as he’s telling his story.
This format would work better if Van Peebles gave us his straight autobiography. Maybe next time.
Story tags »
• Movies“Confessions of a Ex-Doofus- Itchyfooted Mutha” (2 stars)
A one-man show from director Melvin Van Peebles (of “Sweet Sweetback” fame), who spins a crazy coming-of-age tale while narrating and playing the lead role — and if you think a filmmaker in his late 70s playing an adolescent changes the movie, you’re right. It’s a mess, but Van Peebles is such a mischievous presence, it’s rarely boring.
Rated: Not rated, probably R for language, nudity
Showing: Northwest Film Forum
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