PRINCE AVALANCHE

PRINCE AVALANCHE Review

By Darin Skaggs

     The human male can be many things.  They can be prideful, sad, happy, competitive, hardworking and lazy.  They can be very vulgar and surprisingly compassionate.  They talk about women, some in respectable ways others in unrespectable ways.  In David Gordon Green’s new film Prince Avalanche, he explores just that.

     Prince Avalanche tells the tale of Alvin, played by Paul Rudd, and Lance, played by Emile Hirsch.  They work on the road, literally.  Their primary objective is to paint the lines on the road.  Lance has the job most likely because Alvin is dating his sister.  Through letter written narration we find out that Alvin does not respect Lance.  That is at the beginning of the film.  Throughout the film the two men go through some rough patches together and apart.  Because of that they begin to bond.

     The film at the beginning has some moments that support the theory that men think about sex every seven seconds.  There is not much to the characters at first.  Alvin is kind of a jerk and Lance is an immature childlike person.  Yet, throughout the film these two characters grow.  We find out more about them and as they do with each other, we learn to love them. 

     The film feels like a male version of a story about a group of girls that decide to not date anymore and just hang with each other.  With the recent film That Awkward Moment that explores that very theme, this one does that with very subtle, real life feeling.  There are not too many big over the top moments that make you roll your eyes.  The film is very funny with these characters and at the same time while making these jokes, the film makes you feel for these people.

     Rudd is great not being his normal, silly self.  He plays this jerk character that grows into a person that learns to respect people he never would before.  Hirsch does great work as well.  He starts the film as an immature young man and comes out of the film as an adult.  The script helps this along but the performances really help the matter.

     The film is pretty much a comedy, but the real surprise comes from the heart of it.  You will feel sad for these people when they are sad and happy when they are getting along and having a good time.