Spring Breakers Review

When I first heard about Spring Breakers I thought that it was gonna be a silly way to show just how ridiculous people can be on spring break and the type of shenanigans they can get themselves into. I knew it was going to involve a lot of hot chicks in skimpy bikinis, which of course is a great selling point (do you really expect me to say otherwise?), but expected it to have great visuals and some interesting character development. I wasn't exactly wrong, but at the same time I kind of was.

This movie centers around four best friends (don't ask me their names, I doubt anyone really remembers) who want to go on Spring Break and party like crazy. The problem is, they don't have enough money to pay for the trip, so they decided to rob a diner to fund the trip. Then hijinks ensue. That sounds like a pretty decent plot, but this movie just didn't delivered what it could, and should, have.

The major problem with this movie is that it had a story to tell that was lost in a bunch of shots of partying and tits. I don't know if that was what the director wanted or if it just got jumbled in editing, but it was pretty horrendous. At least 40 minutes (of the total 94 minute run time) was needless shots of spring breakers partying and chicks flashing the camera. While it was important to show exactly what our characters were getting themselves into, it was by no means necessary that we see so much of it. It was ridiculously redundant and boring.

The thing that hurts the most about this movie is that it should have been good. If you just follow the straight story, and edit out all of the bullshit, it is a solid story of college girls getting in over their heads and discovering exactly what their threshold is. It differentiates between each girl and shows exactly who they are as people and what they value in life. Sadly, this great story was lost by what was either poor direction/editing. I genuinely believe that if you edit out the scenes that were pointless (aka partying scenes) it would have been an enjoyable 45 minutes, which then you could add more actual scenes, where we get more character development and see character motivations.

The best thing this movie had going for it was James Franco. I find it very refreshing to be able to say this after his atrocious performance in Oz: The Great and Powerful, because I actually like him and want him to be good. His character, Alien, was absolutely ridiculous, and he played it so well. He was a hick gangster that is just over the top. Franco absolutely nailed it. And don't get me wrong, he wasn't the only person to give a good performance in this movie, he was just the best and stood out. The four girls were actually pretty good, but he was a whole different level of goodness.

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This movie had great potential, with a great cast and a great story, but it was all lost when the final product was put together. It is genuinely upsetting to see what should have been a great movie jumbled because of poor directing/editing choices.

Writing: 6/10

Directing: 3/10

Acting: 7/10

Pacing: 1/10

Rewatchability: 1/10

Score: 3.6/10