Society (1989) Review

"I'm not paranoid.  All my fears are real."
-Bill Whitney



Before I dive into this movie, I want to give a Spoiler Alert, even though this movie was made in the 80's.  I highly recommend this film, but you should go into it knowing as little as possible.  I knew nothing about Society going in and had that much more fun because of my ignorance.  Don't read any further unless you have seen this film.


Bill Whitney (Billy Warlock) is a rich teenager who lives with his parents and his sister in Beverly Hills.  On paper, he has it all, but Bill lives with a crippling sense of fear and paranoia.  He's afraid of his parents, his sister, even his therapist.  Bill has never fit into the high-class society of his family and learns that they have a terrible secret they don't want Bill to know.


What Works:

Society is one of the weirdest films I have ever seen and it is incredibly surreal.  I shouted, "What is going on?!" at the TV multiple times, but that isn't a criticism.  For the most part, the movie was intentionally trying to be weird and confusing and I was totally along for the ride.  This one is especially fun to watch with a group of people who have never seen it before.  It's one hell of a shared experience.

Billy Warlock is a really solid lead.  He's a very likable guy, which is surprising when you see the sort of background he has.  He makes a lot of very smart decisions and is very easy to root for.  It's not his fault almost every other character in the movie is conspiring against him.  He keeps the story grounded despite all the weirdness and he is a great lens to view the insanity through.

The 3rd act of the film is utterly insane and one of the most bizarre things I have ever witnessed in my life.  It's disgusting and revolting, but you can't look away.  I saw something I never could have expected to see in my life and, while I'll never be able to unsee it, I think my life has improved...I think.

Finally, the humor in this movie is solid.  There were a few jokes that felt a little out of place, but they ended up coming into play very well later in the film.  They added to the dark, but humorous tone of the film, and I love me some dark comedy.


What Sucks:

I said above that I repeatedly had no idea what was happening in the film, but I was mostly along for the ride.  That said, there is a moment or two where I don't think the movie was meant to be confusing, but was.  For example; the sweater Bill sees at the car in the woods.  I didn't understand the significance of the sweater, but I think I was supposed to.  Nothing too major, just a couple of nitpicks here and there.


Verdict:

Society is one of the weirdest movies I have ever seen, but I had a blast watching it.  It's bizarre, funny, disgusting, and exciting.  The main character is excellent and the 3rd act is burned into my brain.  There are a few moments that don't work, but I loved this film and it has absolutely got it going on.

 9/10: Great 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Argylle (2024) Review

Image
 "The human skull is shockingly brittle." -Aidan Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard) is a very successful spy novelist.  She draws attention from the espionage community when plot points in her books come true.  When Elly is attacked on a train by a group of spies, she is rescued by another spy, Aidan (Sam Rockwell), who needs her help with his mission and to do that, she needs to write another chapter of her latest book. Spoilers Below.  Go ahead and read on because I don't recommend this movie, but either way, you've been warned. What Works: Argylle has a really fun premise that really works in the first half of the movie.  It's a fish-out-of-water, buddy-cop, spy movie, and it's a blast.  Watching Ellie predict where to go based on what the characters in her books would do is a lot of fun.  It's what the whole movie should have been. The opening sequence follows Agent Argylle (Henry Cavill) on another dangerous mission as he pursues the villainous LaGrang
Read more

Top 10 Movies of 2023

Image
2023 is finally over and it's time for me to put my Top 10 list together.  2023 was definitely a weaker year for movies.  There were definitely some great movies, but there were also plenty of disappointing and bad movies as well.  I still managed to put together a great Top 10 with a couple of worthy contenders that just missed the cut.  Let's take a look! #10. They Cloned Tyrone They Cloned Tyrone is a wild and fun sci-fi tale that takes place in the hood.  A drug dealer, a pimp, and a prostitute discover a cloning conspiracy and the results are intelligent and hilarious.  This is a really smart and funny movie with some amazing performances across the board.  This was a movie that kept me guessing the whole way through.  What an absolute blast. #9. Renfield I'm guessing Renfield will be the most controversial entry on my list as I feel like I'm the only person who liked this movie.  I love the old Universal monster movies and the fact that we get a direct sequel, whi
Read more

Madame Web (2024) Review

Image
 "When you take on the responsibility, great power will come." -Santiago Cassie Webb (Dakota Johnson), a New York paramedic, hits her head in an accident, which unlocks the ability to see glimpses of the future.  When she sees Ezekiel Sims (Tahar Rahim) attempting to murder three teenage girls, Cassie intervenes to save them.  As Cassie learns to understand her power, she also discovers the connection between her, the girls, and Ezekiel. What Works: I think the core idea at the center of this movie is a good one and has the potential to be interesting.  Cassie's superpowers are kinda lame.  It's not like they're going to help in a combat situation.  Ezekiel is basically evil Spider-Man.  He has legitimate powers and is a massive threat.  That's an interesting conflict.  How does someone with lackluster superpowers take on a supervillain.  It's a fun idea that I would like to see tried again with greater success.  What Sucks: This movie was embarrassing to
Read more