Beach Bum (2019)

Director Harmony Korine's films have never spoken to me in any strong way. Beach Bum, a loving portrait of a train wreck of a man, may be the one that opens me up to his work. The thing which resonated for me in the audience is the way the film embraces its subject and convinces us to as well. Also it is a remarkably beautiful film. Korine found a way to captivate me visually and push my buttons by telling a story that is at best challenging.

Beach Bum doesn't have much plot. We follow writer Moondog (McConaughey) as he stumbles through his indulgent life. The film feels like it is trying to make his audience uncomfortable, Moondog acts in ways that seem to provoke discomfort in us. He says things we're not supposed to say, dresses as we're not supposed to dress, uses substances and sex to excess, and his actions have consequences, including the loss of life. The juxtaposition between how we are lead to feel about him is in how the film doesn't judge him instead celebrating who he is, like a counterculture hero. We are forced to be torn between the film's push to cheer him on as a rejection of all the values we're supposed to feel and the way he viscerally makes us feel.

McConaughey plays right into his stereotype and is completely entertaining. That paired with Korine's lush and loving visual style makes watching Moondog quite fun. All of this plays into the discomfort we have with his life, until we let it go. And that's what's Beach Bum seems to be about, letting go of our discomfort and embracing divergence. It's not a bad message simplistically and the film never tries to justify its embrace of Moondog. Other than simply letting us see his charming humanity while never looking away from the way his behavior causes harm is what makes Beach Bum something to see.

Beach Bum is a fantasy. Moondog has a horse shoe up his ass. Most who live like him do not get to have the fairy tale ending he gets. But Beach Bum isn't a documentary. I don't think the film's point is to convince us of his worth based on his behavior, more to convince of us his worth because he's human. And it does so with an energetic and joyous approach which is generally fun to watch.

Beach Bum will make weird out quite a large part of its audience and will charm and romance another large part. But in the middle is an interesting place without either judgment or worship.

Beach Bum
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Isla Fisher, Snoop Dog, Zach Efron, Jonah Hill, Stefania LaVie Owen, Martin Lawrence, Jimmy Buffett
Writer/Director: Harmoney Korine