GUMMO

Some critics have said this is the worst piece of s**t they’ve ever seen. Gus Van Sant thinks it’s brilliant. I’ve been to Ohio. I’m with Gus. This movie had more bad word of mouth than any other movie I’ve seen since “Showgirls” (then, it was justified). Writer/director Harmony Korine (“Kids”) did not make this film to please the white, educated, upper-middle class that attend most art films. He made a film with and about wall to wall white trash. It’s not even fashionable “Southern” white trash, it’s set in Xenia, Ohio. If you’re from L.A., it might as well be Mars.
There is no plot to report. We mainly follow our two glue-sniffin’ cat killin’ heroes, Solomon (Jacob Reynolds) and Tummler (Nick Sutton). Everyone has a dead-end life. No one is going anywhere. Everyone generates eccentricities as defenses against everyone else’s eccentricities. Korine is the Jerry Springer of this world. He doesn’t judge his subjects, he can still identify with them. Exploitation is seen mainly by those who can’t connect to this freak show, but it’s a much more realistic depiction of America than “Object of My Affection”.