Show 'Huckabees' some love

An acquaintance, who shall remain nameless because I value his privacy as much as I can't remember his last name, saw David O. Russell's so-called existential comedy "I Heart Huckabees" upon my eager recommendation. Long story short, he didn't like it. Afterward he and I had a heated discussion in which he blamed me, among other things, for "talking it up too much, like you did with 'Lost in Translation.'"\nIt's a hard and fast rule of film criticism that anytime you recommend to someone that they see a movie, you run the risk of talking it up too much and perhaps setting the bar too high. I thought my exaltation of "Huckabees" was neither unwarranted nor excessive, especially since it had such a chilly reception from most audiences across the country. \nIt'd be tempting then to tell you how much I hated "Huckabees" so you weren't to feel as if I'm raising your expectations. But I cannot: this movie, one of the 10 best of last year, is simply too original, too audacious and too funny for me to hold back any blessings.\nThere's no clean way to summarize the unpredictable nature of the film. Its main character, a fraught environmentalist played by Jason Schwartzman, is seeking the guidance of "existential detectives," played with humorous grace by Lily Tomlin and Dustin Hoffman. Along the way his crisis intertwines a disenchanted post-Sept. 11 firefighter (Mark Wahlberg, in a fantastic performance) and a gloss-covered corporate executive (Jude Law). Of all the charges levied against "Huckabees," perhaps the most puzzling to me is that it's an elitist film demanding to be over-analyzed. Of course there's a lot of complex philosophy in the movie, most of which would only be discussed in the presence of a bong, but the film laughs at this philosophy -- the overcomplicating of life's simple things. It's only "elitist" if you don't want to watch movies that make you at least think a little. \nI suggest if you're going to buy the film, buy the two-disc special edition instead of the regular edition. It costs a little more, but the goodies on the special edition are extensive: one commentary by director Russell and another commentary with Schwartzman, Wahlberg and Naomi Watts (who plays Law's supermodel girlfriend); a segment of "The Charlie Rose Show" with discussion about the movie; 22 deleted and extended scenes and a music video of Jon Brion's "Knock Yourself Out," that catchy song from all the film's advertisements. \nBut if you're not going to buy the film, at least rent it -- even if you have to take the chance that I've talked it up too much, it's still worth your time.