Supermallet

It seems that these days, the only way an indie film gets recognized is if it's quirky or kooky in some way. Fox seems really good at pushing these products, whether it's Napoleon Dynamite, Juno, or Little Miss Sunshine, they've all got something about them that says "We're just left of center enough to be different, but not so far out there to actually alienate anyone in the mainstream."

The latest offender is Paper Heart. The film isn't out yet, but just from the poster I can tell it's just chock full o'quirk. The poster has a chipmunk-faced girl (Charlyne Yi) who has this look on her face that says "I'm so silly and funny in a disarmingly cute way!" It also stars Michael Cera, who is the king of quirky indie comedies. His presence in any less than mainstream comedy ensures there will be awkward pauses and two people who normally should be able to communicate with each other looking at each other through their peripheral vision and speaking in broken sentences.

What happened to indie movies that actually took chances? Sex, Lies, and Videotape springs to mind. When did it become fashionable to watch perpetual adolescents trying and failing to act like adults? Why is there a market for this crap?

RichC2

Because it's entertaining and it sells, but then I liked Juno (well kind of) and Little Miss Sunshine and (in ref to another thread ) thought Crouching Tiger kicked ass too so maybe I just eat what's fed to me. And the market comes from having life issues sugar coated so it's easier to digest, a lot of folks don't want to go out on a friday night and see a dead serious movie.

To note, the winner of this years Sundance (as much of a winner as there can be) was the ridiculously serious Precious (aka Push).

Supermallet

I know what thread you're referring to, but I dislike Crouching Tiger for a whole set of other reasons. I would never say it had indie quirk.

RichC2

I know, I was being random. It's a quirk.

Supermallet

Drexl

I just had a horrible vision of "Quirky Movie" by Friedberg and Seltzer, in which a pregnant teen gives birth to Little Miss Sunshine, while riding the Darjeeling Limited.

Supermallet

Actually, I think Wes Anderson may have been the one to popularize, if not start the trend, but I love his movies. Go figure.

Hokeyboy

Can we collectively, as a society, offer up Michael Cera as a ritual sacrifice so nobody ever has to watch him stutter and stammer ackwardly through YET ANOTHER overblown indie drama-dy?

I'll never understand why people buy into this putz. Unless they were ruthlessly picked on in high school and never fought back lol.

PopcornTreeCt

I like these kind of movies. There are far worse offenders of cliche. I mean:

I'm sick of torture porn.
I'm sick of Oscar-baiting dramas.
I'm sick of big brainless summer blockbusters.

I like indie quirk. I could do without Michael Cera but I always be there in line to see indie quirk.

Sessa17

I have no clue what you are complaining about. If you don't like these movies don't see them. I don't understand why Tom Hanks & Will Smith are entertaining, so I don't see films with them in it, but I know they are popular so I'm not going claim false premises like you did above. Saying the only way indie films get recognized is if it's quirky just makes no sense. Frozen River was nominated for an Oscar last year, surely that is recognition (whether you like the Oscars or not is irrelevant to the point) & the film is far from quirky. Gomorrah is one of the best films I've seen in the past 2 years, it's an extreme, Italian-indie movie that definitely takes chances & also has received tons of buzz. Let The Right One In I mean, who hasn't heard of this by now, a foreign, indie-movie with no major distributor when it initially was made & it was by far IMO the best film of last year. I can go on & on. I understand the hate for the Juno-esque genre of late, but to claim that this is the only way an indie-film gets buzz or that movies don't take chances anymore is just flat out false.

And for all the people here drooling over Public Enemies, & Hairy Potter, & Transformers, all movies I find far more cliched & bromide, I'm one-thousand times more excited for 500 Days of Summer this Summer, which IMO is way more refreshing then all this mindless summer compost.

Hokeyboy

I think he's rallying against the overt commoditization of independent films lately (especially in the marketing of said product), but I understand what Sessa's talking about too.

kurupt

While I generally like Wes Anderson films, I think his well is starting to run dry. I agree with the nuveau-indie contrived quirk sentiment though. All of the films you cited played very well for me on the first run, but none (other than Napolean Dynamite which I've only seen twice and liked both times) have held up well at all under repeated viewings. It's gotten to the point that I get angry when I'm flipping channels and catch a part of the "I'm-so-indie-cool-and-quirky-I-have-a-hamburger-phone" dialogue of Juno.

Michael Cera, on the other hand, is a master of his trade. His trade might be very limited (the stammering, nervous kid), but it works for me. I might be biased, though, because every character he plays is basically an extension of his Arrested Development character, and I'm a huge fan of the show.

foofighters7

Mallet- I know you know there are still Independent films out there that are pushing bounderies and not trying to be, as you put it "just left of center".

Napoleon did well and deservedly so I say. What was like it before?

Juno did well and I think it deserved most of it, just not quite all the hype.

Yes, when I saw the trailer for Paper Heart I thought "wow, Cera likes making these type of movies, basically playing a similar character (see also Nick & Nora).

Little Miss Sunshine though, I dont see how you lump it in with these others? Seems like it doesnt really fit with the others even. Yes it was an quasi-Independent film and did well but I think it falls well outside the quirk of the likes of Napoleon, Paper Heart, etc.

I love Independent films, foreign, etc. But I would hardly call Napoleon, Juno, Little Miss Sunshine crap. I think that is ridiculous statement. You speak of films taking chances. I think Napoleon Dynamite would be considered a "taking a chance" film.
By the way, SLAV was hated by many when it came out even by people who liked Independent cinema. I for one like it but do not see a huge 'taking a chance film'.

I certainly understand the dislike of films mimicking other popular films. This goes for any genre, including 'quirky Independent-like films.
Having said that, I hardly think Napoleon, LMS, and Juno could really be accused of this.

I love all types of film, and although I'm not sure If I will see Paper Heart, (I might), I will at least await Michael Cera in the Arrested Development movie!

Supermallet

You guys are right, I'm not saying every indie film has become this way, but these types of films have become so desired by studios that we are seeing more of them, and the marketing for them is far more expansive and pervasive than before. I stopped bothering to watch these movies, but working at a theater, I can't avoid the marketing for them.

Napoleon Dynamite seemed like it was just designed to sell t-shirts at Hot Topic. Juno was disappointing on a first viewing, and then the incessant hype became complete overkill and actually made me hate the movie.

maxfisher

I guess Anderson probably is a big influence in the whole quirky indie dramedy movement, but I enjoy his films and think they feel a lot more authentic most others. I usually think more of Garden State as kicking the trend off. It's just about turned into it's own genre at this point and it grates on me as well. I hated Juno. Napolean Dynamite was a couple of funny scenes planted amidst a wannabe SNL sketch idea stretched out to feature length. Little Miss Sunshine was alright, but far overpraised. IMO, the thing that makes these movies so irritating is that they constantly feel like everyone involved is trying to impress the audience with how clever they are. From the posters to the previews to the soundtracks to the scripts, they feel more concerned about validation and ego-stroking than telling worthwhile or entertaining story.

Sessa17

I agree w/ you 100% about Napoleon Dynamite, a puppy dying of cancer is funnier than that movie & Juno makes me want to kill kittens. But I loved Garden State, & I think 500 Days of Summer looks great as well, so like any genre there are good films & overhyped films. The bottom line with this "young-quirky-genre" for lack of a better term, is money, like anything else in movies. These movies cost nothing to make, & they have a young built in audience, so the studios are going to crank them out.

Your first post just made a bold statement that is just entirely unfair & untrue. The beauty of indie films is just that, they are indie, often you have to seek out the good ones & not wait for what a movie poster or what Entertainment weekly deems worthy for you to see, "quirky" is not the only way for an indie film to get buzz & there have been a ton of recent independent movies that have had huge success without being in this genre.

Kurt D

This happened when our culture became overrun by perpetual adolescents. The difference is, in real life most don't try to act like adults anymore. That's where indie movies come in - to try and knock some sense into all the 20-something kids out there ...

Drexl

That's why we can't offer him up for ritual sacrifice. We need him for the AD movie and a sequel that could happen if it's successful enough.

Supermallet

Garden State made me want to pulverize myself with a frying pan. I'm in love with Zooey Deschanel, though, so 500 Days of Summer might be up my alley.

foofighters7

Napoleon always polarizes people. I for one loved it. Thought it was great. I know many who hated it, many who loved it.

But whether or not you liked it, when you speak about Independent films, it was an Actual Independent film which only got picked up at Sundance, so you may not like it, but you cannot accuse it of being made by 'the man' to sell shirts. (you can blame the companies who picked it up and marketed it the way they did, but not the film or its makers).

I did really like Garden State too, thought it was smart, funny, well written and had Portman... so ya know..not bad at all.

calhoun07

I still love Napoleon even after all the time it's been out. It's got a dry sense of humor to it that is so wonderfully understated.

But I did think Juno was overhyped and Nick and Norah really wasn't anything special at all. And then there was Charlie Bartlett and most recently Harold...


And that's when it hit me...I have really come to HATE the indie comedies that have that Napoleon Dynamite-style note book doodlings on the cover. It's like they are all trying desperately to be the next Napoleon Dynamite and appeal to the audience who liked that movie by putting that stuff on their cover. And it's beginning to get tired, and old.

Supermallet

Sure, it was independently made with obnoxious, quirky slogans that were easy to mass market to people who thought they were being oh so counter culture by buying into it.

We must have seen different movies, then, because the one I saw was leaden, desperately trying and failing to find a voice, although the one I saw did also have Natalie Portman.

Drexl

That one was called "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace."

tylergfoster

Word of mouth on Paper Heart is actually really, really good, it sounds like while the advertising might play up the quirk, the actual movie has substance.

I'm more worried about (500) Days of Summer and I didn't make an effort to see Away We Go on the basis of overquirkiness.

I'm also worried about (500) Days of Summer because it's by Fox Searchlight, those responsible for Garden State, Napoleon Dynamite, Juno and Little Miss Sunshine. If there's anyone to blame for indie quirk, it's definitely them -- they turned it into a cash cow, and then even Oscar bait.

And I like Zooey Deschanel too, but if there was a court of quirkiness, she'd get subpoenaed.You're gonna lump a Michael Mann film in with a Michael Bay film? And what's Hairy Potter? Sounds distressing.

Supermallet

Oh yeah, Alison Janey seems to be quickly becoming a staple of these as well.