A town of lovably delusional "Creatives", several of whom don't know that they're artists, stole my heart with their confessios and interactions among themselves. The improvised dialogue contributed heavily to the characters' realness and that realness wrangled from chaos the film's absurdities.
The performance of the play ("Red, White and Blaine") sweetly dampened my eyes with its amateur's enthusiasm. I was afraid I'd be cringing the whole time but I unironically enjoyed it.
This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.
Prayers and Tears
Leland's motivation for murdering Ryan was largely artificial/symbolic. For him, it was a work of expression as well as a misguided act of heroism. He was liberating Ryan from the sadness of the world and representatively committing suicide.
Early in the film, I was confused about whether Leland is a true cynic or a lazy nihilist but his dialog is pretty explicitly cynical. He probably didn't believe we have any ability to make bad things into good ones but he did believe in bad and good things. His gentle aloofness, however, makes him seem like one of those cheerful nihilists.
I saved this film for a day when I knew I could withstand intense sorrow. The only details and descriptions I had heard and retained about it were that it is an adaptation of a play, it's heartbreaking, and Brendan Fraser gives a powerful, subtle performance.
What I just viewed was pity porn, smashing me over the head with thematic puffery.
The acting is pretty solid from all of the actors, even the barely-seen pizza delivery guy, but the dialog…
