I just watched Todd Solondz's STORYTELLING last night. I too love HAPPINESS (I liked WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE, but it didn't click with me the way HAPPINESS and now STORYTELLING did), and I wondered where could go from there. There is the platitudinal oversimplified "truth" of modern cinema, and then there is the in-your-face complex multi-dimensional multiple-perspective TRUTH of real everyday life; and Todd Solondz is one of the few (possibly the ONLY one) to deliver this specific kind of
unadulterated TRUTH neatly wrapped up in a package that is
simultaneously painfully discomforting and darkly humorous.

Nowhere in STORYTELLING is this better illustrated than in the first (and considerably shorter) of the film's two segments, "Fiction". The second and more substantial of the segments, captioned "Nonfiction" is also extremely well-executed, but lacks the crystalline focus and self-encapsulation of the former entry. It also contains the same trademark biting social satire that is Solondz's calling card, but I felt the story and focus get side-tracked a few times. There is a strange bit of business involving hypnosis that seems VERY out of place in this film, even though it leads to an important plot device. I also had a bit of a problem with Solondz' mean spirited barb aimed directly at Sam Mendes/Alan Ball and their film, AMERICAN BEAUTY (you'll know it when you see it). This same segment also riffs on AMERICAN MOVIE (Mike Shank, who almost stole the show from friend Mark Borchardt - the primary subject, in AMERICAN MOVIE plays a documentary cameraman here), but this is more of a friendly ribbing than the comment made about AMERICAN BEAUTY, which comes off feeling more than a little like sour grapes.

Todd Solondz makes films that point an accusatory finger right in the face of the audience. If you don't see some hidden part of yourself (usually the ugliest parts) displayed on screen for all to see, then I would argue that you are not entirely human (or are living in denial, which seems the "order of the day" in today's society). Solondz' intention is not to make you hate yourself, but to make you come to terms with that ugliness so that it may be tempered. Todd Solondz is that one-of-a-kind friend that you can always count on for deadpan honesty, no matter what the risk. He seems to have a compassionate (yes - compassionate!) understanding of the nature of man's behavior, and the negative - and positive - extreme potential of the human spirit.

My descriptions (now that I read them) come off sounding a bit
cliched, but - trust me - the film is anything BUT cliche. If you're
a brave film fan (who else would subscribe to the Lynch-list?), at
least give STORYTELLING a rental (and HAPPINESS too, if you still
haven't seen that one). You're bound to experience some uncomfortable moments in both films, but the payoff is always worth it. Todd Solondz takes us to places we simultaneously do and don't want to visit, but he takes us there - kicking and screaming - anyway, and - in the end - we are better off for the experience and our perspective has shifted, even if just a little.


A dvd side note: HAPPINESS was issued on dvd in only the "unrated" edition - as it was screened in cinemas. AFAIK, there is no "edited" version available (Thank God!); the last thing you want is diluted Solondz - you either take it full-strength, or not at all. Oddly enough, New Line's STORYTELLING dvd contains not only widescreen/pan-n-scam options, but also offers the choice between an "R" rated and "unrated" cut of the film (similar to Cronenberg's CRASH dvd). The very existence of an "R" rated cut of STORYTELLING seems pointless; if you are not willing to let yourself be shocked, then the ideology contained in these films will simply be wasted on you. Just IGNORE the fact that there is an "R" rated edit available (for that matter, forget there is a pan-n-scam version as well!), and watch the undiluted "unrated" cut instead.

I really do love Todd Solondz and loved Storytelling even more. Although its not up there with Happiness or Welcome to the Dollhouse, still very enjoyable little film and you gotta love that little kid in Storytelling. Solondz finds the darnest boys and portrays them in such a lovely manner. Gotta respect that.

Not a "feel good" movie by any means, but a good one none the less. Solondz has a knack for making dark, ugly stuff palpable, and Storytelling is never dull and highly entertaining.

Here's my review , if you're bored....

so does the unrated version have that red box I keep hearing about?

The DVD contains both the R-rated and Unrated versions of the movie. The R-rated cut has the red box, the Unrated does not.

It should be noted that, unlike many other NC-17 or unrated films, the R version is the one that played in theaters. This is one case where the R version wasn't created simply for Blockbuster. Solondz was frustrated with the difficulty of getting distribution for Happiness and agreed to make the R cut. I can't see that it helped him all that much, but I live in NYC, so I don't know whether or not this film got significant distribution. I'm not making a case one way or the other, but this is a slightly different situation than films like Requiem For A Dream and Bad Lieutenant. I haven't seen the unrated version. Are there any significant differences other than the removal of the red box?
By the way, I agree with many of the observations about the film and Happiness is one of the best films I've seen.