Drawing Flies (1996)

Sick Product of a Sick System

Fantastic!

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.

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

by Dane Youssef The Canadians approach to film-making is either bland, campy or downright blood-and-guts (usually in the "campy" gory vein, of course). Most Canadians are as good at the art of film as mimes are at capturing the art of sparkling conversation.Ever hear the expression, "it was halfway decent? Comes up halfway? Meet me halfway?" I had that thought stuck at the top of my head after viewing this one.That's about the perfect way to describe "Drawing Flies," a Canadian-based indie featuring a sprinkling of an American-based cast and crew.The first half of the movie starts out as a variation of the whole "Dazed and Confused" or "Slackers" genre, where we see some contemporary socially-relevant slacker types in Canada living on steady welfare. Then we see them go on the big self-discovery trip that's the big turning point of their lives.The Canuck Government cuts them off and they take the last bit of money they have in the world, pool it together and instead of paying the necessary monthly rent check, they blow the whole damn thing on a cover-charge at some party and dope.Now totally and completely bankrupt, they move out of their place (they're living four to a single apartment) and hit the road. They then exile themselves to the deep, deep woods where they plan to make permanent residence. Thus, this is where the real journey-theme of the movie kicks in. This is where the part of their lives that has worthy interest to be a movie kicks in.Or should anyway.Jason Lee (as always) proves that any movie with him in it alone is worth seeing (OK, except for the unforgivably bad sedated-comedies "A Guy Thing" and "Stealing Harvard"--well, hey, if Tom Green's in it). His performance starts out earnest with life-affirming optimistic hope and child-like charm, but then U-turns into angry, road rage and his long-repressed dementia kicks in. It's the type of character he's played in damn near everything, but it's still thrills and shakes.Mewes' performance here is kind of uneven. I mean, he's not really an actor--he's basically just a friend of filmmaker Kevin Smith who plays himself in movie after movie. Like Julia Roberts, he's not really an actor--he's more of a TV talk-show personality. Jason Mewes stretches (somewhat) as a welfare-starving slacker who curses and smokes the dope, but not nearly at the level that his legendary Jay character does. He (like most of the cast) seems to have trouble swallowing the overwritten and unrealistic dialogue.He doesn't talk so much about getting laid and eating out pussy as much, either. Mewes' Az character is more of somewhat-more-down-to-earth regular Stoner than a near-cartoon comic relief.Carmen Lee (they were married at the time of this one) does the worst job in this one. Every word, every facial reaction, every moment from her sounds horribly unconvincing. She is here, beyond a doubt, not only the absolute worst performance in the film, but the worst acting I've ever seen. Hopefully, Carmen will stray from acting and find almost any other day job. She would be more adept to make a living donating sperm.The movie's plot echoes "The Blair Witch Project:" A group of friends go on a long, long trip in the deepest woods on earth and into the great unknown. Then, a hidden agenda is revealed. One that may bring wealth and legendary status. It sounds (of course) to everyone else like s collision of insanity and stupidity. But doesn't every ground-breaker at first? Everyone sneers and turns against each other. It's all sides divided. Bedlam, as always. The Loch Ness Monster. Sasquach. The Boogeyman. They're all just good old fashioned monster folklore stories, aren't they? There's always evidence (of course) that tilts to the contrary.Like I said from the start of this review (where you came in), "Drawing Flies" is a "halfway decent" film. If you only see half the movie, you'll walk away having a better cinematic experience than you would if you saw the whole thing. Just see half. That FIRST half.The movie starts off in one frame of mind, then shifts jarringly in another direction at the final quarter, practically derailing the entire picture. Because damn it all, the two just don't mesh. They clash wildly like yogurt and broccoli. Just imagine for a second that resulting, lingering taste.Doesn't draw much attention... or even much interest.(WARNING: THE FOLLOWING CONTAINS A MILD SPOILER--It does not reveal the entire film nor does it give away the ending, but it does reveal a brief surprise… that disappoints) Indie-idol Kevin Smith (the fat hairy one himself) pops up in a bit part that feels like an extra.He's at the party scene, he doesn't have so much as a word of dialogue, and he's dressed just like well… Silent Bob. And I mean SILENT BOB. He wears the same clothes he's worn in the first three movies.And it's not like there much here to distinguish this bit part from his legendary Silent doppelganger. Smith dons the same outfit, same mime facial expressions. He even sports the exact same beard. What, the budget was so low, he couldn't afford a shave or at least a trim? Or time to get another set of clothes from out of his closet? Hey, it's a no-budget film, they couldn't afford a wardrobe department as his character is referred to as "John." You kind of wish there was just a little more of a punch line or pay-off, but….But this time, there is no moment where he breaks the silence. The only difference between "John" and "Silent Bob" is… one is something, one is not. Like the movie...--Still Looking For A Good Movie Like People Are Searching For Sasquatch and The Lochness Monster, Dane Youssef

Now, I am typically not one to generally insult a film. I realize that when creating artwork there are those that devote their sweat, tears, and blood to the project. While some films are horrendous, there is always the need to take a moment and appreciate the time that the director put into his/her work. Alas, with Drawing Flies that theory doesn't apply. What has happened with this film is simply two directors wanted to have a good time, sold Kevin Smith on the concept (a darn good sales pitch if you ask me), asked him to invite his friends, and they would provide the room and food. It reminded me of those first parties at college where you don't really know anyone, but you still invite upperclassmen so that it won't be a total bust. That is exactly what happened with Drawing Flies. While the directors (yep, sadly there were two) will complain about their lack of budget and film, I believe they got exactly what they wanted. A cheap independent film that can be endorsed by Kevin Smith and stars the now popular Jason Lee. Good or horribly bad, those are some decent names to boast for such a cheap film.Drawing Flies was a cheaply made film that carried with it a sloppy story. In all attempts to pull in a independent crowd and possibly create a "cult" classic, these directors have done nothing more than provided us with an hour and ten minutes of pure slop. The beginning should have been our tell-tale sign when Jason Lee's voice-over provided the first ten minutes of the film laying what could have been the groundwork for the film, but instead just random dribble. There was no A-B-C logic in this film. There was no defined story. There were no intelligent characters. There was literally no emotion. I could continue this "missing" list for quite some time, but I would need several milk containers. All this film had was Kevin Smith's View Askew production name stamped (very proudly … nearly too proudly) on the front and actor friends that apparently didn't care what a decision like this would do to their career. The entire "Jay & Silent Bob" moments were only included in this film to pull drooling fan-boys to the rental stands. They had no impact on the actual story itself. In fact, the mere seconds that they share aren't even funny, just cliché and completely cheap.I hate to continue to use the word "cheap" to describe this film, but as I watched the production value of Drawing Flies fall dramatically as the 76 minutes came closer and closer to ending, I kept thinking of those $1 movies found in those bins at your local stores. They may be good movies, but the value is so cheap that you nearly feel like the $1 isn't worth it. That is how I felt with Drawing Flies. One minute we are at a beer guzzling party, the next we are moping about welfare, and the next we are in the woods concerned about Bigfoot. Where was the logic behind these segments? My answer … there was none. This film was a cheap attempt at creativity, mental instability, and those darn Sasquatch. For a View Askew production, the voice dubbing was horrendous, the actual acting was atrocious, and the sets were amazingly poor. Even the outdoor shots just screamed "Blue Light Special". Nothing worked in this film. Nothing of value was created. Nothing could make a mother say, "I am proud of the work my son has done." That is sad.I am tired of Kevin Smith. While I love Clerks (both the live-action and cartoon) and think Chasing Amy is one of the most brilliant films about modern culture created, Smith has continued to disappoint his die-hard fans time and time again by feeding us cheap cliché moments like that of Jay & Silent Bob in Drawing Flies. It is as if he has found his one character and is not afraid to exploit it to the very end. Jason Mewes should not continue to work. Jason Lee needs to stay focused. He is an exceptionally talented actor, but this film could seriously ruin his resume. Everyone else just did this film because Smith was involved, and Smith was involved only because he likes to think that he still has his hand on the pulse of independent cinema, but alas he does not. Kevin Smith is mainstream, even when Passion of the Clerks is released it just won't have that pizazz it once did. His originality is gone and we can only blame films like Drawing Flies for that change.Overall, in case you haven't guessed already, this was one of the worst films that I watched this year. As the year begins to close, I thought that good cinema would be pouring in, but if I continue on the Drawing Flies path, I do not see good things in my future. I am tired of clichés, of overused pop culture references, and of Kevin Smith. I am disappointed in this film because it wasted 76 minutes of my day.I just kept waiting for these lines to pass our character's lips:"I gave you BACK the map, Heather.""I gave you the map.""I gave you BACK... THE MAP."Grade: * out of *****

As a disclaimer, I am a HUGE fan of Jason Lee but I have not liked everything he's done (A Guy Thing -- Wha?!?). "Drawing Flies" is a typical slacker film. Definitely has the Indie feel and look to it. The acting is not very good but gets better later in the film. However, Jason Lee is GREAT in this film. He's funny but not over the top. He even has some dramatic moments that show he can act. Not a great film but definitely a must see for Jason Lee fans! 7 out of 10.

I had long been looking forward to finally finding the "lost View Askew" film, "Drawing Flies," only to realize what a total waste of my time it was to watch it. I am a fan of Kevin Smith's films, especially "Mallrats," and it seemed encouraging that so much of its cast was in this film, although I'm scratching my head at what I just saw.I think it was meant to be a comedy, but there was no obvious humor (or subtle, for that matter). I would imagine most viewers would be at least as indifferent to the plot and characters as I was-- and I was inclined to like the film, having been searching for so long. The acting, directing, and writing were all really lousy, although the same actors did a good job in "Mallrats," leading me to believe that the blame is more squarely in the lap of the filmmakers. Some of the intellectual pontification present in Smith's films can be heard here as well, but it just seems laboured and extraneous. My last complaint (although if I had the time I could continue indefinitely) was that although we were often reminded that it was set in British Columbia, there was only one character that sounded remotely Canadian-- in fact, Jason Mewes sounded as New Jersey-esque as always, down to the "youse."My overall rating: not even for View Askew die-hards. Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier introduce the DVD, which seems like a nice touch, until they ramble on long enough without really saying anything at all (they may have been were drunk or high). Smith says what a fine film this is but I guess you have to listen to the commentary to see why he feels this way because he doesn't elaborate well in the introduction. I don't think I can put myself through another watching to hear the commentary. I'll give it a generous three out of ten.