Starring: James Franco, Vanessa Hudgens, Selena Gomez, Ashley Benson, Rachel Korine
Certificate: 18
As Harmony Korine’s cult flick hits the cinemas this week, there have been a few mixed reviews. It’s not hard to see why – Spring Breakers is made up of a weird mind-boggle of events, like watching the one-time stars of Disney suddenly transform into bikini-wearing, drug-taking, gun-wielding teens. Not only that but they do it through a 92-minute whirl of fluorescent colours and camerawork that wouldn’t look out of place on Instagram. But the question is, 'Do they pull it off'?
The story
Bored of their university lives and desperate for adventure, best friends (Candy, Faith, Brit and Cotty) decide they are due an Easter vacation. Furthermore, they decide they want it to hold it on the Florida coastline at America’s most famous student love-in, Spring Break. Skint and without more than $100 between them, the girls decide to use their youthful self-confidence and love for power to bag the cash - and they do so by robbing their local chicken shop at (fake) gunpoint, before heading to the east coast.
Once there, the girls change into their bikinis and don’t seem to ever put the rest of clothes back on - attending hedonistic parties, getting naked in pools, filling their nostrils with a host of narcotics and teasing men like there’s no tomorrow. But when tomorrow comes, they find themselves in court following a drugs bust and without any money for bail.
Enter Franco as the cornrow-yielding, metal cap-sporting rapper Alien who falls in lust with the girls and becomes desperate to make them all ‘his’. And that’s when things go from being a pushing-the-boundaries, coming-of-age flick to the darker 18-rated movie you came to see.
Verdict
Such is the assault on your senses, it’s quite hard to know what you think of this film when you first come out of the theatre. In fact, I predict the Marmite effect might be in place here.
The endless semi-naked beach shots can become a bit uncomfortable at times, and there’s one particular scene involving apprehensive friend Faith (Gomez) – who looks a lot younger than her actual 20-year-old self - which leaves a bit of a chill. But there are plenty of ‘laugh out loud’ moments (mainly involving Alien) and maximum drama, with a few ‘WTF’ moments thrown in (look out for that Britney/balaclava scene, you’ll know what I mean).
Yes, Spring Breakers is an assault on the senses in the most curious form - providing an incredibly unique (and perhaps extreme) insight into today’s youth culture. It is most definitely a satisfying Friday night watch.
‘Spring Breeeeeeak’ - get used to hearing it, because it’s these weed-induced Alien tones that will ring in your mind for hours after.
