Harmony Korine hit a gold mine when he cast former Disney standouts Selena Gomez and Vanessa Hudgens in Spring Breakers, his not-so-unique tale of four best friends and their week long trip to Miami. Incorporating the use of drugs, sex, and violence, Korine is able to successfully pull off the ridiculous and funny, using both to compensate for a lackluster story and poor character development.
I'm not saying that the film isn't entertaining...you just have to be in the right mindset to enjoy (and occasionally appreciate) what Korine has pulled off.
Spring Breakers tells the story of four college friends who knock off a Chicken Shack in order to fund their spring break trip to Miami. Once there, the group feels they have finally found where they belong, prompting each to succumb to the environment that isn't just Miami...it's spring break! But after bring bailed out of jail by a local rapper/drug mover, the foursome quickly find themselves face to face with the heavy criminal underbelly of the city, prompting each to search deep for their true needs and desires.
The acting, while not horrible, isn't anything to compliment either. Korine uses a strong number of montages and a unique style of editing to present a film truly unlike anything I've ever seen before. The characters, for the most part, are merely a piece in his crazed puzzle, often times serving as nothing more than a reference point to the madness that is, well, spring break.
The characters' progression, as well as their systematic farewell, was a bit over the top for my own liking, and the evolution of our final two makes me wonder if Korine's spring break lasts more than the usual seven days. But that is neither here nor there. The final scene is a bit too simple, and watching as Hudgens works tirelessly to remove her good girl image by throwing around f-bombs at will is slightly humorous (and a bit exhausting). Throw in a killer soundtrack (featuring a pair of Britney Spears' songs), and the bi-polar feeling contained within the film only grows stronger. Spring Breakers, though a clever idea, is entertaining at times but falls victim itself.
