Title – Spring Breakers (2013)

Director – Harmony Korine (Mister Lonely)

Cast – James Franco, Vanessa Hudgens, Selena Gomez, Ashley Benson, Rachel Korine

Plot – Spring Breakers is the lurid tale of 4 college girls and their adventures to get to Spring Break and their time once there. Things take a turn for the stranger when they get drawn into the world of rapper/criminal Alien (Franco).

“I’m Alien. My real name is Al, but truth be told, I’m not from this planet.”

Review by Eddie on 10/07/2013

If you want to get as far away as possible from your life as a Disney pin up starlet it may be worth following the lead of Vanessa Hudgens and Selena Gomez and get your agent to book you into a Harmony Korine film. Spring Breakers is about as far away as you’d want to get from a pc film, it’s a film decked out in neon and sprinkled with weird.

Spring Breakers could be summarised into a slamming indictment of what’s wrong with the Gen Y teenager and their penchant for partying and misbehaving but in the end it’s more about presenting a tale of good girls gone bad with a crazy grill platted James Franco as the show stealer. Korine’s film has no issue showing flesh, showing no sign of morale and using a Britney Spears song for one of the most memorable montages in recent memory. It short it’s a crazy ride unlike anything you’ve ever seen.

The 4 girls at the centre of the film at once seem like your everyday teens then all of a sudden they become something else, monsters to the partying and high life system. Scenes where the girls blazingly rob a chicken shop or talk of their violent actions are hard to take but hard to turn away from. Their time at Spring Break is the “best time ever” until they are swallowed into the world of Alien.

Alien is arguably the greatest screen creation of Franco’s career. A rapper/criminal that can be repulsive and charismatic at the same time, Franco enjoys every one of his centrepiece scenes whether showing off his weapon collection with childlike glee or singing ballads on his piano with his “girls” every minute of Franco’s screen time is a joy to behold. It must be said his performance is the only real acting highlight of the film, the girls have not much more to do but showcase a vast variety of different swimwear.

Spring Breakers is an offensive film, a film not suited to all or many viewers. It’s filmed in a almost fantastical way that makes you question what is real and what is surreal. Visually it’s in a league of its own, story wise in a script of its own and overall a film that demands a viewing if only to let people know how much you hated or how much you loved it. Spring Break forever!

3 and a half grills out of 5