Movies

I bet Andrew Bujalski is sick of reading that he's the voice of his generation, when most of that neo-slacker demographic has never had the opportunity to see his films. Like Funny Ha Ha, Mutual Appreciation is hardly your standard Amerindie … It's shot on 16mm black-and-white, thus confirming Bujalski's allegiance to a strain of maverick films—Shadows, Stranger than Paradise, Clerks—that bring poignantly accurate renditions of subcultures of which their directors have intimate knowledge to otherwise homogenized screens. While Cassavetes is the most obvious influence, one might also regard Funny Ha Ha and Mutual Appreciationas Rohmer without subtitles. Both films are "moral tales" whose characters leap to language as offense and defense.—Amy Taubin

Throughout history, there have been people who have changed the world. Edison gave us the light bulb; Guttenburg the printing press. I feel I am offering a public service for all mankind just as great by warning people to stay away from "Mutual Appreciation".It is perhaps the most monotonous movie I have ever seen. Nothing happens. These slackers, who are really disturbing to look at, just sit there and talk. I wouldn't have a problem with that if they had something interesting to say. They don't. And they have nothing to say in the most dreary manner possible. No ups, no downs. Just flat, unemotional speaking. It is just true torture. Please, please, for all that is good and holy, ignore the critics who liked this and avoid this horrific piece of...film.

If this film represents the voice of the twenty-something generation, we are in trouble. It's disturbing that so many claim to find genius, humor or even originality in this film. Comparisions with Cassavedes, who is riveting, Rohmer, who is profound, and Woody Allen, who is both funny and original, are insulting to those directors. The film is a colossal bore. It is not enough to be raw and real if your actors are unimaginative and your characters are given almost nothing interesting to say or do and your script shows little intelligence or originality. (The mole-must-be-removed motif has already been done, to much more hilarious effect, in Nichole Holofcener's "Walking and Talking.") I find it telling that in one of the user reviews, the writer feels compelled to apologize for falling asleep during the film. No, that is an entirely appropriate reaction.