Expect the unexpected with Goran Dukic's Wristcutters but don't hold your breath for a major revolution. What it offers in terms of originality is very nearly undercut with all too familiar indie comedy quirk. In fact, had this film not come out of left field with a truly unprecedented comedy concept it could be very easily written off as yet another glib indie roadtripper. What makes this trip worth taking is the gleefully morbid premise that sets the film apart from the pack.Patrick Fugit (Almost Famous, Saved) stars as Zia, a lovelorn twentysomething who we meet upon the moment of his suicide. After his death we catch up with him again in a world that seems not entirely unlike the one he left behind. The difference, he claims, is that "everything's just a little bit worse here." It seems that all those who commit suicide end up adrift in this new world of sleazy bars and cheap apartments. For his eternal torment, Zia is stuck working at a dirty pizza joint. He befriends an eccentric former rocker named Eugene (Shea Whigham) and lives out his lousy afterlife in relative peace. That is, of course, until word spreads that Zia's true love (and motivation for his suicide) Desiree (Leslie Bibb) has also killed herself. Now Zia feels compelled to seek her out and reunite with her in this hellish new world in which no one can smile. He takes along Eugene and together the two embark on one of the cinema's weirdest roadtrips. Along the way things get complicated when a hitchhiker named Mikal (Shannyn Sossaman) threatens to steal away Zia's affections and distract him from his mission. Not to mention the world of post-suicidal misfits is far from pleasant and presents many of its own unique challenges.
One of the more taxing attributes to this prickly, funny film is the constant, inexplicable weirdnesses of this new world. There's a black hole beneath the front passenger seat of Eugene's car. There just is one. The headlights to his car never ever work. They just don't. Both of these things and many other oddities do serve some narrative functions in the end. They're not as useless as they seem. But they do often seem useless, like random devices that scream "Wacky! Wacky! Wacky!" And in these moments the film succumbs to cartoon strangeness. It's details don't seem to be beautiful nuances amounting to a unique vision as much as they seem like absurd bits and pieces designed to beat you over the head with just how quirky the story is.
That's not so say the film doesn't have its charms. It's just sort of hit or miss. Some of its snarky wit hits the right notes. Some just falls flat. Some cutesy character banter is endearing. Some just isn't. The big picture sentiments mostly shine through, particularly in the film's surprisingly sweet final moment. And it's hard to resist the cynical musings and silly antics of the film's likable, deader than dead protagonists. All in all, it's smart enough, perfectly unique, and performed wonderfully by a refreshing young cast brave enough to commit themselves to a story that tiptoes between life, death, reality, fantasy, and everything in between.
Grade: B
