Movie Review: Black Swan

Way back when, your author used to fancy himself a movie critic. And on occasion, some people he hasn't talked to in a while will immediately ask if he still reviews movies. Since he usually has to begrudgingly admit that he is still waiting tables instead, there will occasionally be movie reviews posted here at BMC—not necessarily new or even the most recent releases, but still technically reviews—just so he can say he indeed still bitches about what's getting too much/not enough attention. Reviews will offer a quick take that ends with a brief summarizing thought that, in the spirit of Metacritic or Sound Opinions, will be in green (denoting a positive opinion), yellow (mixed opinion) or red (negative opinion). And sorry, but no star-ratings or letter grades.

Today's review: "Black Swan," originally released September 1, 2010 at the Venice Film Festival.


THREE THINGS I LIKED:

1. A CHICK FLICK—IN THE BEST SENSE OF THE TERM — Make no mistake, Natalie Portman's formidable performance lets her drive this vehicle. As Nina Sayers, the innocent but hard-working ballerina cast to play the dual roles of the Swan Queen—the pure White Swan and the evil Black Swan twin—in an unnamed New York ballet company's production of "Swan Lake," her acting becomes a tour de force as she's rarely off the screen. What's more, she works in contrast to a trio of duplicitous women in the film: the company's free-spirited newcomer, Lily (Mila Kunis), who becomes both a friend and a rival; the company's former star, Beth (Winona Ryder), who is being pushed out of the spotlight; and Nina's mother, Erica (Barbara Hershey), who is herself a former dancer that had to give that up to have her daughter. 
2. DARREN ARONOFSKY HURTS SO GOOD — Having already been a pretty avid fan of both Requiem for a Dream and The Wrestler, Aronofsky continues to deliver here by shooting Black Swan with a handheld camera that effectively helps immerse the audience inside Nina's twisted world. And although he's left behind the brutality of professional wrestling, Aronofsky still makes toes curl with some of the cracks and blood behind the scenes of the ballet and the lengths a performer goes to for their art.
3. IT'S GOT A LITTLE OF EVERYTHING FOR EVERYBODY ... — There's elements here of drama, comedy, horror, and even a thriller.

THREE THINGS I DIDN'T:

1. ... BUT THAT INVITES THE "JACK-OF-ALL-TRADES, MASTER OF NONE" CRITICISM — If I'm going to say Black Swan has touches of all those genres, it's fair to believe that never fully committing to one in particular is certain to split audience reaction firmly into a "love it/hate it" dynamic.
2. DID YOU NOTICE THIS IS THE ONE BEST PICTURE NOMINEE WITHOUT A SCREENPLAY NOMINATION? — There's already plenty of mentions about similarities to The Red Shoes (which I've never seen) and All About Eve, but really it seems to most recently echo a female version of Aronofsky's own Wrestler. It's hard to be considered for the Original Screenplay category when so much of the subject matter feels so derivative.
3. NOTHING GRACEFUL ABOUT BEING THAT HEAVY-HANDED — Vincent Cassel is fine in his role as Thomas, the leader of the dance troupe, but his dialogue often serves as just spelling things out for the audience ("You must complete your metamorphosis into your evil twin" or "The only standing in your way is you"," etc.).

25 WORDS OR LESS:

Whatever the occasional shortcomings, Black Swan never fails to hold your interest the entire time.