The Counselor
http://feelthefilms.wordpress.com/2013/11/16/the-counselor-2013-2/
“Bizarre” is the watchword that has been nailed to The Counselor, a word that takes on a new meaning with every viewer who sits through the film. Most find the explicit sex and death scenes to be bizarre. Some are finding the dated costumes and the grotesque set designs, bizarre. Others will find the characters and their actions to be repulsive and mind-bogglingly bizarre. My reaction propels over the two-dimensional aspects of The Counselor, finding the viewing experience to be commonly bizarre. I was aware that I was watching a poorly made film; however, I was captivated by it. The more unconventional The Counselor became, the more fun it was to witness. It may be the worst mesmerizing film in recent years.
The Counselor (Michael Fassbender; he is never given a real name) proposes to his girlfriend Laura (Penélope Cruz), but not before involving himself in drug trafficking with Reiner (Javier Bardem), Malkina (Cameron Diaz), and Westray (Brad Pitt). The plot chooses to develop these five characters for the first forty minutes to only have an unrelated plot thread turn the tables, setting up the film’s second half. The Mexican drug cartel intervenes after a misunderstanding; consequently, all the character’s lives are put at risk. The villain is not revealed until deep into the second half, but the first scene “said character” appears, we assume it’s that person is the villain. It’s not a well-conceived storyline or carefully arced film.
Questioning my past and analyzing my decisions are uncontrolled hobbies that consume about 18 hours of my day, but this may be the aspect where The Counselor should have sought out some counseling. If the film would have taken some Prozac, we may have been able to explore some finely sketched arguments about moral decisions, feminism, the loss of innocence, and the actions that drive us to certain places in our lives.
Subtlety may not exist to the screenwriter Cormac McCarthy, because he writes his characters to literally ask other characters multiple moral questions during every scene. Some philosophical lines lead to some further thinking in the audience’s brain, but by the time you leave the theater, you begin to ask yourself, “How did I get here … at a showing of The Counselor?”
Besides Ridley Scott’s over-direction of a script with self-directed dialogue, the problem is the bland protagonist. Michael Fassbender is a great actor. He may even win Best Supporting Actor this year for 12 Years a Slave, but he sinks around the four major supporting characters, who are filled of color and life.
Academy Award-winning married couple Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz are memorable. Bardem is spasmodic and very entertaining. Arguably being the most talented team player here, Cruz gets the short end of the stick. The role of Laura has five scenes, all of which were exposed in the trailer. Still, she takes her role as seriously as she took any of her Oscar-nominated characters and sprays us with her tears and emotional strength.
The power source of the film lies in the hands of Cameron Diaz. You may not take her seriously after her star-making comedies, but here she’s in the element of an excellently written, intriguing role. Malkina may be the most original character of the year. Having the cold persona nailed tightly down, Diaz’s diction when reciting her dialogue may cause some to write her off as cheesy, but there is no realistic way of portraying this woman. Diaz shines the light of charisma into the dark, mysterious character.
The term “guilty pleasure” often is mistaken for enjoying a film that the majority didn’t care for. The Counselor makes me understand what a guilty pleasure actually is: a film that you understand is poorly made, but which you had a blast watching. The Counselor will make record books, not for the reasons of having quality, but for its gutsy depictions of sex, including Cameron Diaz having sex with (not on, with) an automobile and Penelope Cruz having an unconcealed orgasm in the opening scene.
I wish I could recommend The Counselor, but aside from my personal relish, I have nothing to support a recommendation. Ridley Scott makes it that way for himself. The Counselor would have been more subtle had they dressed Penélope Cruz in a habit, Cameron Diaz in a head-to-toe Halloween cheetah costume (which is not a stretch from the costumes Malkina actually wears), and Michael Fassbender in a plain white T-shirt with a big question mark in the center. The Counselor is a junky film and wastes a great deal of potential.
Grade: C
Rating: 4/10
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