I think I may be the only person on this thread who thinks that all of the actors involved did a great job (except I thought Kat's friends were kind of weak and forced at times, especially her gay friend, who seemed to just be a "typical gay guy" trope). I feel that every actor and actress had their characterization down, and that they were pretty consistent. I think the stylization that some people here have stated had a purpose -most notably Meloni's and Green's characters seemed exaggerated, because as viewers, we are relying on the narration of Kat, and therefore the storytelling reflects her perspective. Kat even said it herself, that growing up her dad was always weird and wimpy, and her mom was always pretty much bizarre, crazy, and seemed jealous. Therefore, her perspective on what she had to deal with on a daily basis was exaggerated by showing her parents be just like that, like how she explained them to her therapist and others. I mean, everyone has the tendency to exaggerate when they tell a story, and I think that's how Kat's version of the story is told.
Kat on the other hand, I believe is a very apathetic and jaded individual - much like most (if not all) of the characters in every other Araki film. I think the only main character I can think of that wasn't apathetic was Faris's character in Smiley Face, but then again she was stoned all the time, so I guess that could count as apathetic - and plenty of other characters in that film just seemed "over it" constantly. I am pretty sure that Araki must really relate to that feeling of apathy and just enjoys personifying it in his films, and also in a comedic way, to show how apathetic he is about his apathy (if that even makes sense, lol). I thought that Shailene's acting was very natural, and any weird quirks and mannerisms added to the conflict that her character felt - apathy and emptiness towards her mother, loneliness and abandonment in her love life and relationship with her mother, concern and confusion about what happened to her mom and why she left, and also I think a large part of her that worried about WHY she didn't feel sadder about her mother's disappearance, and also that she would never get over that part of her life and move on.
Anyways, as you can tell, I am a very huge fan of Araki's films, but that is not the reason why I am conjuring up all of this theory. I'm just saying what I personally was thinking throughout the movie because there are some bizarre moments and strange occurrences and I mean, I have had my fair share of strange and bizarre people and events in my life, and people acting somewhat over-the-top in REAL LIFE, so to me, this movie doesn't even seem that unnatural. LOL But I could see how it could be perceived as such.
Also, let me just say that I finally watched Kaboom the other night and I really enjoyed it, but the ending was a HUUUUGE let down. So there, I'm an Araki fan but I can admit his faults. :P
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