Violet & Daisy first went on my radar during last year’s New York Comic-Con when I went to a panel featuring writer/director Geoffrey Fletcher, which was inexplicably hosted by a seemingly drunk Carrie Fisher and her electronic cigarette. Brief 30 second clips of the film were shown — not long enough to give a clear idea of what the film was actually about, but long enough to grab my interest. Fletcher is best known for writing the screenplay for 2009’s Precious, but the only comparison you can make between Violet & Daisy and Precious is to point out that they have nothing in common. Whereas Precious took a harrowing look at an urban teenager’s troubled life in New York City, Violet & Daisy has a much more humorous and fairy-tale like approach on the life of a teenage assassin and her older partner in New York City.
That’s not to say that it’s gentle because this is a movie about two assassins, Violet (Alexis Bledel) and Daisy (Saoirse Ronan). Of the two, Violet is older, harder, and seems to placate Daisy’s childlike curiosity by making their hits like an extreme game of dress up. The two are obsessed with pop singer Barbie Sunday and her clothing line and take a seemingly easy job from Russ (Danny Trejo) in order to make enough money to each buy her newest dress. However, the duo is surprised when their target, Michael (James Gandolfini), is overly welcoming and appreciative that they have come to kill him. This throws the pair off their game, and Daisy in particular insists on knowing why Michael is so comfortable with two young women coming to kill him. What transpires afterwards tells the story of Violet and Daisy’s relationship and how they cope with the work that they do and the multiple problems they run into while trying to kill Michael.
Movies like Violet & Daisy make one question how seriously one is supposed to take the material. On one hand this is very obviously a black comedy, but in some cases it seems quirky for the sake of quirkiness. Take the way the two speak, for example. Their delivery is incredibly odd, with Daisy in particular sounding like she is a princess transplanted from a Disney animated movie. The violence also takes on a Sin City-like quality because for the most part it is over-the-top. Yet despite this humor the movie features a number of very serious scenes with Violet, Daisy, and Michael. The mix of tones is awkward, so while there are parts of Violet & Daisy that are wickedly funny there are other parts where you aren’t sure if you’re supposed to be laughing or not. There is almost a complete absence of any “darkness,” and the film as a whole is shot like a comedy might be. In fact, I had a hard time distinguishing between fantasy and reality in this movie, which can often be a good thing. With Violet & Daisy I’m not so sure, though.
There are movies I leave not knowing what to think in both good ways and bad. Violet & Daisy falls somewhere in the middle, which means I can’t exactly recommend it. Did I enjoy it? Sure, it had some very funny parts and clever moments. Do I think others will enjoy it as much as me? Unless you’re looking for a sweeter version of Sin City with lengthy talking scenes without Frank Miller’s killer dialogue, than no.
RATING: A mixed bag of a movie that I still don’t know what to do with (5/10).
Recent Comments