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"Paradise
Lost On This 'Beach'"
by Scott Mantz
"The Beach"
Leonardo DiCaprio,
Virginie Ledoyen
Directed by Danny Boyle
Try to imagine
would it would be like to go to the moon. You've just put your life
on the line and done something extraordinary, and now it's time
to reap the rewards. You'll always be recognized when you walk down
the street. You'll never have to wait to be seated at a fine restaurant
ever again. If you're single, you're dating problems are history.
OK, you're feeling pretty good, right? Well, ask yourself this--what
do you do for an encore?
This is a challenge
that faces many Hollywood celebrities. After achieving more success
than they could possibly imagine, they are now forced to live up
to some unrealistic expectations. That's a lot of pressure, and
it can be very intimidating. Months, or even years, can go by until
a decision is made on what to do next. Director Robert Zemeckis
led the pack at the 1995 Academy Awards with multiple wins for "Forrest
Gump". He went into hiding, and when he finally resurfaced in 1997,
it was with the disappointing "Contact". If anybody's feeling the
pressure to deliver, it's got to be director James Cameron. That
little boat movie he did became the highest grossing film of all
time, making over $600 million in US alone (that would be "Titanic",
for those of you who've been living on a deserted island). As of
this writing, he has yet to commit himself to another project.
Speaking of
that film, what ever happened to Leonardo DiCaprio? He's kept a
pretty low profile since becoming the self-professed "king of the
world". His last two films, "The Man in the Iron Mask" and "Celebrity",
were both made before "Titanic" was released, so it was only natural
for Hollywood to wait and see what he would do next. Well, the wait
is over. But was it worth it? It depends on what you were expecting.
"The Beach", which feels like a cross between "The Blue Lagoon"
and "Lord of the Flies", with a little bit of "Apocalypse Now" and
"Six Days, Seven Nights" thrown in, is a beautifully shot film that
contains a decent performance from DiCaprio. However, like it's
subject matter, it looks more impressive than it actually is.
Richard (Leonardo
DiCaprio) is a man on a mission. Somewhere in the world, he's convinced
that paradise exists. He travels to Bangkok and meets Daffy (Robert
Carlyle), a psychopathic lunatic who's staying in the room next
door. Daffy gives Richard a map to a secret island that nobody can
get to. Richard convinces his new friends, the beautiful Francoise
(Virginie Ledoyen) and her devoted boyfriend Etienne (Guillaume
Joseph), to travel with him to the island. Upon their arrival, they
encounter a commune that's already been living there for years.
They are invited to stay, provided that they haven't already told
anyone else about the island (oops!). What starts out as a dream
turns into a nightmare as Richard learns the hard way that paradise
isn't all it's cracked up to be.
Leonardo Dicaprio
successfully steers clear of his heroic "Titanic" role by playing
a character that, all things considered, is not a very nice guy.
From the moment he meets Francoise, he's smitten by her. It doesn't
matter to him that she already has a boyfriend. He eventually wins
her over, only to have a fling with Sal (Tilda Swinton), the unofficial
leader of the commune. Against his better judgment, he gives a copy
of the map to a couple of potheads. When they show up on the island,
he hides in the trees and watches as they are mercilessly killed.
This is a far cry from "Titanic's" Jack Dawson, but that's the point.
Like Johnny Depp and Brad Pitt, DiCaprio's made it quite clear that
he is an actor, not a poster boy for teenyboppers.
While "The Beach"
is full of drama and suspense, it still falls short of it's true
potential. Richard's voice-over is reminiscent of Martin Sheen's
Captain Willard from "Apocalypse Now". We're in his head for 2 hours,
but we know too little about him to really care and make a connection.
When Richard steals Francoise from Etienne, there's a minor confrontation,
but Etienne ultimately shrugs it off like he doesn't even care.
Francoise then drifts into the background for the rest of the story,
as if she wasn't needed anymore and served her purpose.
What makes the
film so engaging is how it examines the definition of paradise.
Even though they avoid civilization, the commune is still prone
to the same pratfalls that man faces in the outside world. Richard
lies about not showing the map to anyone, and he lies to Francoise
about his fling with Sal. After a shark attack injures a man, they
mercilessly abandon him on a deserted part of the island so they
don't have to hear him scream anymore. As for the commune itself,
it's not exactly self-sufficient. They still make routine trips
to the civilized world to buy hygiene products, cooking materials,
and batteries for their handheld Nintendo games.
So, does paradise
really exist? Well, if it didn't work in the Garden of Eden, it
sure isn't going to work in the 21st Century. DiCaprio wastes his
time searching for paradise, when he only had to look no further
than within himself. If you search within and stay true to who you
are, then that's where you'll find true paradise. You can't ask
for more than that.
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