2. This Isn't High School Musical...
Much of this film's controversy will inevitably surround the casting of Vanessa Hudgens and Selena Gomez, both actresses who made their names in the squeaky-clean
High School Musical films. And indeed, if you bought a ticket in the hopes of seeing a saccharine, teen-friendly singalong, then you're in for a shock. For Korine has scored an almighty coup in throwing these Disney princesses headfirst into Spring Break. They strip, swear and have sex with strangers- although you wonder if Faith's early departure was as much Gomez's idea as her director's. Supposing you mistakenly thought it was a Vanessa Hudgens movie (or perhaps it was the film's lurid poster that persuaded you to part with your cash) and decided to see it through to the end. Either way, Korine will try his best to see that you don't. It's not that the film is unwatchable (although such a claim would undoubtedly play into the director's hands), it's more that, around halfway through, it shifts gear and descends into a dreamy, non-linear mood piece. Certain shots and phrases are repeated, drawn out, interwoven to hypnotic effect. ''Spring Break, Spring Break, Spring Break forever'' becomes the film's mantra, lazily drawled out by each of the main cast at one point or another. The girls' phone calls to their mothers, each running out of words to describe just how much they love the people here at Spring Break, take on a more ironic tone as they play over such scenes as Faith spurning Alien's advances or Cotty crying in the shower as she nurses her bullet wound. These are nice touches, perhaps the only justification for why the girls hold Spring Break in such high, quasi-religious reverence. But the story has lost focus by this point. In floating around and repeating itself, it resembles an actor who has forgotten his lines. Forget the salacious attempts to shock; this is the real endurance test. But fortunately things are held together by a spectacular soundtrack (provided by Skrillex and
Drive composer Cliff Martinez ) and the strange beauty of the accompanying images. If the first act was a hip-hop music video, the second is an experimental art film. When critics discuss the divisive nature of this film, it will be interesting to see whether they are referring to its style or its substance.