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Based on a play by David Rabe, and supported by the strong Penn-Spacey duet, this cocktail that was intended to be explosive turned out to be nothing more than a wet firecracker. Even if Penn's performance (He performed in the play 10 years ago) is impressive and some lines are really quite enjoyable, the movie is much too long and lacks cohesion, while unbearable Chazz Palminteri's acting make these two hours indigestible. Penn and Spacey play two "Hollywood executives" whose home, the main set of the film, is some kind of Sodom & Gomorrah driven by sex, drugs, alcohol, anything and everything but moral standards. Hurlyburly reminds me of Swimming with Sharks (not only because of the cynical Kevin Spacey), and Burn Hollywood Burn. The only powerful scene is when Penn, in a sober phase, realizes how monstruous they all are and decides to take drugs again to avoid being haunted by what he has just found out. Regarding the cast, only Penn stands out, Spacey playing his usual snide self while Palminteri provokes nausea. Even if that's the point of his character, the problem is that contrary to John Goodman's character in The Big Lebowski, Palminteri posesses an unappealing arrogance that tries too hard to impress you with his acting. As for the rest of the cast, Gary Schandling is ridiculous, while Robin Wright-Penn and Meg Ryan's cameos are not very conclusive. Only the young Anna Paquin surprises with the realism of a difficult role as a wild runaway. For the price of the ticket, you would be better off renting Swimming with Sharks and Shortcuts.
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