Picture Claire (2002)

Memorable, crazy movie

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

In this film about a (fairly) innocent girl who comes to Toronto, believing her former lover is as deeply in love with her as she is with him, Juliette Lewis shines. Ms Lewis is arguably one of Hollywood's finest and most under-rated actors, and she carries this film with just the right amount of emotion. Gina Gershon. What can you say? Remember in "Out for Justice" when Gino asks her how she's doing, she says: "I can still get it wet." Who can forget a line like that and the gal who said it? Mickey Rourke is often difficult to watch, but always believable and right on the mark. While he can carry a film like "The Wrestler" he also shines in these little cameos that turn up with some frequency. I should mention Tracy Wright as well. She really made me believe she was a jaded Toronto detective. Overall, this is a film that breaks away from the formula Hollywood 3-act film that we've all come to love, or hate, depending. A neat film well worth watching and perhaps more than once.

This is the story of a largely mute French Canadian whose trip to see a one night stand results in her getting mixed up with a smuggling operation gone wrong. The main character risks her life to avoid momentary embarrassment, gives a pep talk to a dog, wanders around the only city in Canada where no one apparently speaks French, has an intense hatred of having her picture taken and frequently fantasizes about being on the Moon.That sounds like the makings of a comedy, right? Unfortunately, Picture Claire is a drama that is all quirky and stylized and sucky.After her apartment is set on fire by a couple of thugs, Claire Beaucage (Juliette Lewis) decides to leave Montreal and ride the bus all night to Toronto. There she hopes to hook up again with Billy Stuart (Kelly Harms), a young photographer she picked up in a Montreal bar one night. Before that happens, Claire winds up in a diner bathroom as smuggler Lily Warden (Gina Gershon) meets an accomplice in the dining area and kills him. Though she doesn't know it, Claire is blamed for the murder and then finds out Billy has a live-in girlfriend. In an amazingly stupid move, Claire ends up swinging from Billy's balcony into the apartment below…which just happens to be where Lily lives. She grabs Lily's purse and flees, unknowingly taking with her the thing Lily was smuggling. As Lily takes off after Claire, two more of Lily's accomplices take off after her and two flatfooted detectives also join in the search for Claire. A lot of lame going hither and yon ensues, resulting in an ending that goes from marginally clever to hugely idiotic in about 15 seconds.The best thing about Picture Claire is the performance of Callum Keith Rennie as one of Lily's accomplices. He plays the character with the flair of a theatrical killer and ends up exactly the way theatrical killers would in the real world.Other than that…ugh. Characters repeatedly have to do incredibly dumb things to get the story from one point to another. For all her carefully established traits, Claire is basically a non-entity played pretty much that way by Juliette Lewis. The script tries to compensate for that by giving the other characters more to do and say, but it never bothers to give the audience any reason to care about any of it. Director Bruce McDonald is also incessantly breaking up the screen into smaller boxes with different images in them. It's a mildly engaging visual technique that gets very old, very fast when it becomes clear that McDonald is only doing it because he thinks it looks cool.Picture Claire isn't an aggressively atrocious motion picture. It's just one of those lame indy flicks that aren't nearly as hip and cool as they think they are. If you've never seen those kind of movies, you might find this one just barely worth your time. However, there are a lot better films out there for you to watch.

This Canadian cult film is littered with strong and reputable American and Canadian actors, and reminds me of some of Brian De Palma's work - like "Sisters" and "Blow Out." It's got that eerie noirish mystery feel that sets it apart from the standard type of Hollywood "suspense thriller." I LOVE Mickey Rourke's appearance as the sleazebag pusherman, and of course Juliette Lewis blew my mind - having loved her work on "From Dusk Till Dawn" and then almost not being able to recognize her as a French-Quebecois woman in this film. Also check this movie out for Callum Keith Rennie. His slow, sadistic manner of delivering his eccentric anecdotes and theories is really entertaining, and he and Mickey take home the billing for "top badass" in this picture. The first 20 minutes pull you in with an exciting street vibe and punchy editing reminiscent of "Run Lola Run," and your eyes stay glued to the screen. The script's dialogue also has its moments where you'll find yourself laughing out loud. This sweet little ditty is for sure worth checking out!

If you like Picture Claire, or even if you don't, I highly recommend you try to view Claire's Hat. Not really an official movie, it's an excuse film by the director, in an attempt to pardon himself for the terrifyingly bad bomb he'd produced. Wickedly funny for anyone inside or out of the film world, it's something everyone should see. Unfortunately, I haven't heard about any plans for a release of Claire's Hat. If there ever is, grab the chance and see this movie. The best flick of 2003, it will not disappoint.