Short Cuts (1993)
September 22nd, 2007
Robert Altman’s classic ensemble anthology, based on a series of short stories by American master Raymond Carver.
Altman has woven several of Carver’s unconnected stories into one narrative, and sometimes it doesn’t work. The vacuum cleaner salesman is wasted; Casey’s grandfather appears out of nowhere, tells a boring story, and then disappears; the murder of a young girl in a park is unmotivated and doesn’t ring true.
This movie is hard work. There are a lot of characters, and it takes awhile to figure out who is who, who they are with, and what they are doing.
Much as I love and respect Altman and his body of work, I think this would be a better movie if the stories were unravelled, given the actors they need to have (not the ones who happen to be there), and told separately, each with its own beginning and end. I realize that even thinking this is heresy for Altman fans. So be it.
The stories are strong and there is great acting here. Some of the characters are endearing, especially Lily Tomlin and Tom Waits as a boozy trailer-park couple. But most of the situations are dark, most of the characters are self-absorbed, few of the interactions are kind. I came to see the title, “Short Cuts,” as referring mainly to the thousand tiny knife cuts that the characters use to wound one another on their way through life. But I was moved by the ending, especially Lyle Lovett’s baker in Casey’s story.
This is a classic and the model for the anthology films that have come after - Crash, Magnolia, Babel. But it is a failed classic. You should see it if you haven’t, but for a great Altman experience, I prefer the vastly warmer and kinder 2006 A Prairie Home Companion.
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