Returning home to Miami after a trip abroad the Well Hung, Moondog is about to go down on his wife and remarks “I always forget how rich we are.” The problem here is that the movie is not a send-up of the 1% or at least, it doesn’t work if it is. In Spring Breakers the send-up of gun fetishization and the culture that glorifies violence is direct, and the message comes across loud and clear throughout the movie. The Beach Bum is about a guy that is terrible to his friends and family and never learns his lesson.
Lewis, the agent, and Moondog briefly discuss his wealth, and the conclusion is that when you get rich enough, people will overlook your despicable behavior. A brilliant point that needs examining and Korine is just the person to be able to do so. Sadly though, aside from that talk, the politics of being a rich white guy and the power that comes with such is overlooked. Korine usually is very in your face about politics, religion, and the actual things society worships that he misses the mark is so much as surprising as it is disappointing.
“…it meanders about without much focus and is ultimately a pointless endeavor, individual moments are funny.”
The cast is all on point though. McConaughey is basically doing an exaggeration of his public persona, and despite that, he is excellent. The reason anyone likes or empathizes with Moondog is that McConaughey holds nothing back, including the darker aspects of the character, and it is an astonishing performance. Fisher has surprising amounts of chemistry with McConaughey, despite her more limited role.
Snoop Dogg looks like he is having the time of his life as Rie. However, it is Martin Lawrence as Captain Wack who gets the biggest laughs. As a friend of Moondog’s who confuses dolphins and sharks, Lawrence’s brief screen presence is hysterical.
Comes across as ‘The Big Lebowski’-lite. Pass.