Spring Breakers- Harmony Korine

I saw Kids on its initial release. I had read all the reviews and while I liked it, I did not think it was all that shocking as it was being portrayed. The people that were shocked were parents who didn't want to admit that their children were involved in any shady life choices. I knew people like this. The reason I mention this is that it was my first run in with Harmony Korine.  Jump ahead a few years later and I saw a movie called "Gummo" on the wall at Crazy Mikes Video. It had a bizarre looking kid on the cover and some quotes that intrigued me. I took it home and was blown away. It was done in a style I was not familiar with and made me feel dirtier than Jeffery Dahmer at church, not to mention the soundtrack had Sleep and Burzum.I watched this repeatedly until "Julian Donkey Boy" came out, which I became more obsessed with. I read his book "A Crack Up at the Race Riots" and continued to re-watch his films. Next he had "Mister Lonely" which was good, but felt more like a Todd Solondz film. Next he introduced the world to "Trash Humpers," which I loved, but was almost a "fuck you" to the audience. Which is one reason I loved it. The reason I mention all of this timeline is, I feel like with "Spring Breakers" he has returned to the same world I fell in love with in "Gummo." Sure the stories are very different. But Korine is back.

Some Disney princesses decide to rob a chicken shack so they can go fuck/drink/drug on the beach. Bitches need money. They get arrested for snorting coke off each others titties and meet up with the coolest James Franco you have ever seen. He has a rivalry with Gucci Mane which will haunt the girls and the badass Franco while they are fucking, snorting, robbing, and basically just living the dream.

In classic Korine fashion your mind will not know what to do while you watch this. At one moment you feel like you are watching MTV's "Spring Break" than at the drop of a hat James Franco is giving a gun the hottest blow job you have ever seen.

While being his most polished film in a lot of ways, it still has the grittiness of his aforementioned films like "Gummo." The film is edited together in a very unique way, with many things being repeated in different contexts throughout the film. There are many montages, the Brittney Spears montage will go down in history. The film is mostly linear, with a few flashbacks and flash forwards.  While for the most part, the music is not typically something I would listen to on my own accord, it is perfectly fit for what is unfolding onscreen. All of the girls do great in making you believe that girls like that can be bad bitches, and as I have said and will scream from the rooftops, Franco is amazing.

If you are not a fan of Korine, don't bother with this. It is not for you. If you like the more bizarre, unsettling film style than get your ass to the the theater. Spring Break, Bitches!

4.5/5

-Tromeric