Oftentimes I am sold on a movie after seeing a single still image in its promotional material. With Prince Avalanche, all I needed was to see Paul Rudd sporting a mustache and denim overalls. It also helped that it’s a return to the understated indie genre by director David Gordon Green, who became somewhat famous for being at the helm of Pineapple Express, Your Highness and a number of episodes of Eastbound & Down. This is a dramatic departure from those comedies, and it’s good to see Green working on weird little projects like this and the upcoming Nicolas Cage-starring Joe, which is set to play at the Toronto Film Festival.
The greatest strength of Prince Avalanche might be that it has absolutely no airs about it. It’s not a movie that’s trying to impress you. It doesn’t even have much of a story, showcasing Rudd and Emile Hirsch as two dudes painting traffic lines on a remote highway. The odd connection between the two characters, a loose one based on one being the brother of the other’s girlfriend, goes through a series of sweet moments and bitter challenges, some highs and some lows, though nothing too dramatic, which makes it a rather perfect little movie to watch at home.
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