Short Cuts (1993)

Directed by Robert Altman. Starring (alphabetically) Anne Archer, Bruce Davison, Robert Downey Jr., Peter Gallagher, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Andie MacDowell, Frances McDormand, Matthew Modine, Julianne Moore, Chris Penn, Tim Robbins, Annie Ross, Lori Singer, Madeleine Stowe, Lili Taylor, Lily Tomlin, Tom Waits, Fred Ward, (plus) Jack Lemmon, Huey Lewis, Buck Henry, Lyle Lovett, Michael Beach. [R]

A mosaic of Southern California stories from screenwriters Altman and Frank Barhydt, inspired by several Raymond Carver short stories, meandering through the lives of about twenty (give or take) L.A. citizens dealing with the anxiety and unhappiness of their emotionally-shuttered lives. MacDowell and Davison are devastated when their son is struck by a car driven by Tomlin’s waitress, whose husband (Waits) is an alcoholic, and whose daughter (Taylor) is married to a makeup artist (Downey) whose photographs of his work disturbs a fishing buddy of an unemployed salesman (Ward), married to a depressed party clown (Archer) who’s pulled over by a short-tempered motorcycle cop (Robbins), and so it goes and goes. Scope and perceptiveness are impressive feats, as is the lion’s share of the acting, but interest varies among the numerous parties—some I wish had been given even more time to be studied and appreciated, others may as well have been dropped for how little is reaped from their misery and memory—and the seemingly invisible influence of Altman’s directorial hand relies solely on the dilemmas and dialogue to carry the day. Almost seems allergic to catharsis or payoffs of any kind, which is like life sometimes (and, no doubt, the point of the film), but not always rewarding. With this film, Altman joined the likes of Lynch, Scorsese, Fellini, Penn, et al to be nominated for Best Director at the Academy Awards without the movie receiving any other nominations.

74/100