The greatest hits (now streaming on Hulu) is a movie about music, which isn’t like dancing about architecture, but more like, I don’t know, sneezing on cheese? It’s a romantic drama with a dash of sci-fi, in which star Lucy Boynton plays a young woman who suffers a traumatic accident and finds herself trapped in what can only be described as a time-bending loop of grief. Offers a lot to see: Justin Lin and the latest Superman David Corenswet in supporting roles and enough vintage audio equipment and porn on vinyl to blow away millions of knob and switch fetishists. And as these things go, it also offers a lot to listen to: the soundtrack is truly killer, the playlist dreamed up by a taste snob who could take this slightly too trivial story to Recommendationsville, the key word being “”might “
THE GREATEST HITS: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?
The essence: Harriet (Boynton) finds herself in a real conundrum. Two years ago, she was in a car accident that killed her boyfriend Max (Corenswet). Since then, every time she listens to one of her “her” songs, she goes back in time to the moment she and Max heard it for the first time. Of course, there are rules to this scenario: in the past, she can change her own behavior, but she cannot alter events to save Max’s life; Once she finishes the song, or she tunes out the track in the past, she wakes up, having experienced an “episode”. Since she could be walking down the street and be activated by a passing car stereo and fall and hurt herself, and because the episodes are inherently disturbing, she covers her ears and wears noise-canceling headphones, and has given up her career of “being the next Alan Parsons” to work filing books in a nearly silent library. . She can listen to music that is No by Love List, who plays on a succulent vintage record player with a big, warm 1970s amp, with one of those fancy stabilizing weights on top of the vinyl. DON’T HATE HER BECAUSE SHE’S AUDIOPHILE.
Do you have all that? Every once in a while, Harriet purposely triggers an episode so she can try again, unsuccessfully, to save Max’s life, and we get a shot of her in a chair in front of her stereo, reflecting, surely on purpose, That Famous Cassette Ad Maxell. This metaphysical phenomenon has taken over her life and keeps her in a constant state of depression. The only person who knows about the situation is his best friend Morris (Austin Crute), a DJ with a vinyl collection worth killing for, and an equally kill-worthy classic, El Camino, which would be perfect for transporting the bodies. to the forest. . Harriet regularly attends group therapy sessions, and one day, David (Lin) walks in, crashing into a stack of folding chairs, interrupting her first sharing session. Then she gets out of it and trips and he helps her pick up her things, and it’s obvious: these two klutzes are intended falling on top of each other, especially after he unknowingly recites the film’s thesis while chatting with her about the record store bins: “I love how music can do that.” take you to a moment in time.”
And since anyone even halfway looking in the direction of unmodern must stay 100 miles from this movie on pain of death by a million force-fed Creed playlists, David takes Harriet on a date at the impeccable convertible from the 60s. his late parents abandoned him. To explain her constant use of headphones, she tells him that she is “haunted by music” and that it is a medical problem, which is not No It’s true, but really, what else should I say? Like, “I know this is going to sound crazy, but…”? Or is it too early in the film to unleash that tremendous cliché? (Note: It’s too soon. Be patient. It will come, and when it happens, you can drink if you want.) As Harriet tries to overcome her chronic, melancholy-soaked condition and the new wrinkle David brings to her life, she realizes something has to give. But what will she give, and how will she give, and will she have the soundtrack to The The, a moody Lana Del Rey number, or the only Nelly Furtado hit you remember, and which she has aged surprisingly well? NO PARTY POOL.
What movies will it remind you of?: The greatest hits Is essential High fidelity of the concept either Nick and Norah’s Depressingly Finite Playlistwith some metaphysics impeccable mindness, Sliding doors And yes and a fractured narrative that is like Annie Hall has become slightly science fiction.
Performance worth seeing: Boynton gives an engaging performance in a film in which the characters are a couple of shades away from being three-dimensional.
Memorable dialogue: The greatest hits Fortunately, it’s not overly packed with embarrassing exchanges like this, but it has enough to inspire mild irritation:
Morris: What in the name of Luther Vandross just happened?
Harriet: I just met the guy who will change my life.
Sex and skin: An artistically effective PG-13 sex scene in which the participants make love in a sea of LENS FLARE.
Our opinion: So. Are we buying any of this? The biggest problem with The greatest hits it’s how it clumsily combines a ridiculous concept with a maudlin tone; Yes, this is a movie about trauma and grief, but how seriously are we going to take this concept of time travel, in all its extravagance and logistics? fragility? It’s a great question, and writer-director Ned Benson’s attempt to make Harriet’s plight immersive, moving, and profoundly profound just doesn’t work. He forgoes the kind of ambiguity that would stimulate minds to ponder the big questions about reality, memory, and perception, and instead comes to an obvious conclusion that is such an effective fraction of one of his likely influences. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
That’s a long way of saying the movie is weak. It is difficult to seriously and accurately convey the passion of music obsessives in a film script. High Fidelity I did it mostly well, but The greatest hits It has more of “you have to listen to this, it will change your life” garden state tin-eared quality that also feels too forced written, be convincing. Benson shows an eye for subtle, thoughtful visual embellishments that help disguise the clunky dialogue and give us a sense of the surreal nature of Harriet’s existence. But the film buckles under the weight of its protagonist’s depression, which makes her sympathetic and frustrating at the same time. A little more comedic pizzazz might have been good for the film; Remember, a good song can help you get through tough times, but a better one can energize your spirit.
Our call: The greatest hits It has its moments, but it needs a remix. SKIP IT.
John Serba is a freelance writer and film critic living in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
