TIFF 2009: LEAVES OF GRASS

Leaves of Grass

Released: 2009

Directed by: Tim Blake Nelson

Starring: Edward Norton, Susan Sarandon, Keri Russell, Richard Dreyfuss, Tim Blake Nelson

Genre: Comedy, Crime drama

Short Review:

Leaves of Grass is a quirky comedy about two brothers that have experienced two vastly different lives, but over the course of one weekend their lives are take a drastic change. Edward Norton is easily my favourite part of the film, even though some of his scenes come off as mild stereotypes. Overall, the film was entertaining, not Norton’s strongest film to date but I do feel that the film is worth a watch.

Full Review:

Edward Norton plays two brothers that have taken very different paths but are both unmatched in their respective fields. Bill is a well-respected Classics Professor at Brown University, and his brother grows weed in the most sophisticated green house ever constructed. When Bill learns that his brother has been murdered with a crossbow, which is apparently common where he grew up, Leaves of Grass enters into an insane weekend filled with lies, deceit, weed and drug dealing Jews.

The film aims to be an awkward/dark comedy and I feel that it does succeed as being an entertaining comedy with aspirations of higher grandeur. In one instance Bill’s brother is attempting to disguise a murder as a simple hate crime by spray painting swastikas all over the victim’s house, but he later regrets this decision because he holds no animosity towards the Jewish community and requests Bill to apologize on his behalf.

The film can be divided into two different worlds, the academic one filled with students that are hopelessly in love with their professors, and the students that despise them  because they only received a B+ (I actually know people that are willing to hunt to their professors to ‘convince’ them that they deserve a higher mark.) Then there is the world of the Tulsa drug community which is a surprisingly cut through industry where a man can get beaten up (regularly) by walking into the wrong convenience store.

I feel there is a lot worth while in this film - such as the witty, sometimes outragous humour, unexpected violence, and Norton’s fair portrayal of two very different brothers. However, there was something missing from the overall worth of the film.  While it does possess some really well done scenes, the overall film was not really the most groundbreaking.

SHARP OBJEX Rating: 2.5 out of 4

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