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Thursday, November 10, 2016

Bongwater (1997)


A very American account of what grunge life was like for many in the 1990s. This is a quirky, at times savage and well paced account of a micro-community and the loves and struggles of some of its more attractive looking members (No pun intended). Also featured is a young Jack Black, as the feral weed grower freak folk musician Devlin (singing Jesus's Ranch).


Despite the fact that this film has Andy Dick in it, who I find extremely irritating both as a character and as himself in no matter what role he plays, it has considerable merit in its portrayal of a time that paved the way for the millennial cultures of today. Queer life mixes with hippies, freaks, punks, environmental activism, artists and the confused and self-abusers.  It comes off as a moment in time when anything felt possible, except everyone was too stoned or self-absorbed to make it happen. It was a beautiful moment in cultural history. 

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