Sometimes Hollywood turns around and surprises you when you least expect it...
On the surface I Love Huckabees is a zany American comedy featuring zany American comedy stalwarts like Lily Tomlin alongside established Hollywood actors like Dustin Hoffman, Jude Law and breakthrough performances by Naomi Watts and Jason Schwartzman.
Underneath it is an existential thought provoking piece that takes a tried and tested Hollywood format into the realms of serious philosophy. This film offers belly laughs as well as seeds of greater enlightenment.
The plot concerns Albert Markovski (played by Schwartzman). He is engaged in a business deal between the environmental group that he chairs and corporate superstore Huckabees, concering an area of protected land.
To deal with the personal trauma that he is experiencing he decides to hire Existential detective husband and wife team of Hoffman and Tomlin. They enter his life and cause some typical American comedy detective chaos.
His rival for power of his own coalition is the rising star of the Huckabees Corporation Brad Stand (Jude Law), who comes accompanied by his girlfriend and 'face of Huckabees' Dawn Campbell (Naomi Watts). Catherine Vauban (Isabella Huppert) a rival existential detective, who uses the dark side of the force, also becomes involved in the equation alongside the excellent Mark Wahlberg, as fireman and fellow existential patient Tommy Corn.
Together they embark upon a journey where they eventually realise that they are all connected as part of the same blanket of life and that if you look closely enough you cannot see where Dustin Hoffman's nose ends and space begins. 
This is the latest film from Director David O'Russell, who has previously directed Three Kings and Flirting With Disaster. If with Three Kings he made a war movie with a conscience, then here is a study of Corporate and Capitalist pressure alongside spirituality and peoples efforts at finding themselves.
It's as deep as you want it to be. My only warning is that if you own a space hopper then you might end up hitting yourself in the face when you get home to stop yourself thinking about it. Reccomended though!
Showing at the Broadway Cinema
Check out Kate's review of this film
I Love Huckabees Website
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