You Can

STEFAN wrote:
I DARE YOU TO WATCH THIS. [Chuck and Buck]

LOVE YOUR IDEA JON.

Chuck and Buck- Dir. Miguel Arteta 2000

Have any of you ever been in a situation where you’re watching a movie that’s really good and has a lot going for it, and someone who’s opinion matters to you walks in during just the wrong moment? This happened to my Dad when I was about 15. He was watching “From Beyond” (excellent horror/scifi if you’ve never seen it), and me, Mom, and my little sister and brother walked in during this fairly racy S&M scene, the only one of its kind in the entire movie.

My girlfriend, who was asleep on the couch for most of “Chuck and Buck”, woke up at just the wrong moment. This movie was really good, but now she’ll always have this crazy first impression of what it’s about, and what her boyfriend watches when she falls asleep.

The Plot: Actor/writer Mike White plays Buck, a basically good but emotionally stunted fellow who’s just lost his Mother. Chuck (Chris Weitz), Buck’s boyhood friend with benefits, is invited by Buck to attend the Mother’s funeral, and the boys meet for the first time in many years. Chuck does his best to comfort his old friend, and Buck makes a pass at him. Chuck’s girlfriend, in passing, invites Buck to come hang out in LA sometime. Buck takes this literally and packs his bags.

Once he arrives in LA, Buck realizes that Chuck really doesn’t want him around. Buck then proceeds to write a play about his “love” for Chuck, and stalks the happy couple in his spare time. It all gets resolved in a way that I have no business spoiling; you’ll have to check it out for yourselves.

What Makes It Watch-able: Mike White’s portrayal of Buck is incredibly endearing, though the character is, at best, off balance. You really end up feeling for the guy and you wince every time you know he’s about to mess up, cause you really want him to succeed. Watching this made me feel very much the same way I’ve felt when watching videos of myself as a youth. Forced to see myself acting all stupid, but there’s no way to tell the me on the screen to stop what he’s doing. Lucky for me, camcorders were still a luxury item until I was around 19 (not that I didn’t do anything stupid after that age, but I think I did a good job of avoiding cameras unless a script was involved).

Chuck (or Charley, as he prefers to be called) is stuck in a situation that you can empathize with, too. He’s got this guy who wants nothing but to be friends like they used to be, but that he’s simply out grown (the way I imagine pretty much every girl who’s ever dumped me has felt when I call to say “what’s up”, HAHAHA). Chuck’s not a bad guy either, he just doesn’t wanna play Buck’s reindeer games anymore, you know?

Well, it all comes together in a film that’s pretty sweet and, for the most part, was really fun to watch. The story was interesting and fresh, the acting was more than bearable, and it tempered its oddly creepy morality with a lot of heart and good intentions. Stefan, I consider this suggestion a favor from a friend, cause not in a million years would I not be able to watch this.

Times I had to avert my eyes: 0 (although I certainly winced at points)
Breaks needed to complete viewing: 1
Overall rating from 1 to 10: 8

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