Happy Thanksgiving!

We here at Trust the Dice would like to wish everyone in the U.S. a Happy Thanksgiving! For anyone outside of the U.S.: Happy Birthday or Happy Unbirthday as is applicable!

We will not be posting today due to the holiday, but on Monday look forward to the Top 20 Movies to Look Out for in December!

I Am Not A Hipster (2012)

Number Rolled: 4

Movie Name/Year: I Am Not A Hipster (2012)

Tagline: None

Genre: Indie

Length: 90 minutes

Rating: NR

Production Companies: Uncle Freddy Productions

Executive Producer: Fred Najor

Director: Destin Daniel Cretton

Writer: Destin Daniel Cretton

Actors: Dominic Bogart, Alvaro Orlando, Tammy Minoff, Lauren Coleman, Kandis Erickson, Brad William Henke, Michael Harding, Adam Shapiro, Tania Verafield, Eva Mah, Lisa Ogdie

Brook is in the middle of an existential crisis. After his mother’s death, he’s left questioning all his choices and paths in life.

Selina’s Point of View:

Hipsters grate on my nerves. I can’t actually offer an unbiased review of this film because I hated every character in it.

Growing up I was part of the grunge scene for a while. All I owned was like… flannel and worn-out jeans. Then I discovered punk and never looked back. Chains, spikes, chaos and songs with lyrics that meant something. I’m not talking about pop-punk… like Good Charlotte, either. I mean Bad Religion and NOFX. My particular brand of punk image had a touch of ska and a lot of geek thrown in.

Even though I was a punk, though, I understood the other groups. Goths, pops, rockers, hippies… they all made sense to me. Even after I graduated, when the emo thing took over, I didn’t like it but I understood. Hipsters? I don’t fucking understand hipsters.

I can get on board with the beards and even some of the music. That’s not my issue. The skinny jeans piss me off and look less comfortable than a bed of nails, but even that’s not my problem.

The hipster crowd seems like it exists so people can sneer and try to one-up each other. Everything is about just how singular it can be, how out of the norm. Nothing is good enough and if you think something is good enough than you’re an idiot. If you haven’t travelled outside the country than you’re sheltered. If you haven’t read this random book from the 1950s, obviously nothing you’ve read matters. Haven’t heard of that obscure movie that came out a few years ago that hasn’t played in any theaters and only six other people have seen? Obviously you only watch movies directed by Michael Bay (Pain & Gain, Pearl Harbor, Transformers). Getting excited about something? Well that’s totally taboo. Unless you’re at Coachella or something, you need to be dismissive of fucking everything else.

Fuck that and fuck them.

I get excited about way too much to get involved with that noise. I mean, for a week leading up to The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 (2015) I had several moments where I just wigged out and squeed for no reason. (I saw the film, it was AWESOME!!!!) Forget my dog. I get all proud-mama about her constantly. I just taught her to give me a pound when I say, “sup, dog?” My husband walked out of the room with a sigh when he saw it. I giggled.

What does any of this have to do with the movie?

Well, it’s called I Am Not a Hipster. So, naturally, every damn person in it is a hipster. As a result, I felt NO connection to the film at all. Fifteen minutes in, I was bored and I didn’t want to watch anymore. The plot wasn’t nearly enough to draw me back into it.

If you intend to watch this film, I recommend that you either be a hipster, or at least able to tolerate the culture. Otherwise, you should consult Cat’s point of view, because she’s likely going to be able to give a more neutral review.

Cat’s Point of View:

I’m not going to beat around the bush. This movie bored me.

I will admit that the soundtrack was pretty decent. I think the music helped glue this film together.  Without it, I think I would have found folding laundry infinitely more interesting.

Don’t get me wrong, though. The movie wasn’t horrible. There were flashes of brilliance, and moments that evoked emotion – but the rest of it felt like the film was trying to be too cerebral.

The moments I enjoyed most in the movie featured the main character together with his sisters.  I liked the dynamic between the siblings, and the scenes that elicited the most emotional response from me involved all of them together.

I did appreciate the fact that the lead, Dominic Bogart (Extracted, Mahjong and the West, 400 Days), is a musician – actually performing in the film. While I understand that not all actors cast in parts that require musical performance as part of the role are able to actually sing or play; I enjoy and connect better when it’s the real deal.

I was surprised to learn that this appears to be the sole film credit for the actress that played Spring, Lauren Coleman. I hope that we see her in other projects in the future. She has a lovely voice and I enjoyed her performance.

I’m not sure that I would recommend this film to others, unless I knew in advance that this was really “their thing.”

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 60%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 63%

Netflix’s Prediction for Selina – 4/5

Selina’s Trust-the-Dice Score – 1/5

Netflix’s Prediction for Cat – 4/5

Cat’s Trust-the-Dice Score – 3/5

The Random Rating: PG-13

Movie Trailer: