This is a story of continuous failure and humiliation, told through the eyes of feature film maker Todd Solondz, using the perspectives of an aspiring writer (Selma Blair) and an actor-turned-documentary film maker (Paul Giamatti, of "Sideways" acclaim), who use pen and camera to distance themselves from their subject matter in turn. While the writer is her own subject, the filmmaker finds a teenage outcast to tell his story of "American Scooby". So what we see is three to four levels removed from reality, whatever that may be. Sounds glum and complicated? Uh-huh. Solondz gets a few cerebral kicks out of the whole truth-and-fiction hodgepodge, but it's all a bit too academic to be much fun. Fans of Selma Blair, however, will not want to miss it. 20 minutes into the movie, and already she has gotten her kit off twice. Ironically, the movie's second segment is actually the more interesting, perhaps because John Goodman makes such an imposing dad. If you liked "Happiness", find someone who liked "Little Miss Sunshine" and go see a movie together. It doesn't necessarily have to be this one.
Review of Storytelling
