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Director Harmony Korine takes audiences into the lives of four leading ladies and the gangster that James Franco plays so well in “Spring Breakers,”
Korine was able to capture the craziness that surrounds spring break for many college students each year.
“Spring Breakers” transports us into the lives of Faith (Selena Gomez), Candy (Vanessa Hudgens), Brit (Ashley Benson), and Cotty (Rachel Korine). They are four college girls looking to get away from school and go on spring break. The only problem is they are short on cash, three of the girls, Candy, Brit and Cotty decide to go rob a restaurant to fund their¼ break.
After they get the money, their spring break is underway in St. Petersburg, Florida. The girls’ break takes an unexpected twist when they meet gangster rapper Alien (James Franco) and join him on his violent escapades.
This movie has so much going on it’s hard to find a starting point. Let’s start with the most obvious reason to see this film. “Spring Breakers” has a cast that makes it stand out with Disney starlets Selena Gomez and Vanessa Hudgens in the leading roles. It is refreshing to see Gomez and Hudgens to break out of their normal gigs of PG movies and TV shows that are geared toward pre-teen audiences and take on raunchier, edgy roles. These characters add a great contrast to their innocence as teenage girls that make the film fun to watch as they get into trouble.
The other stand-out reason to see “Spring Breakers” is Franco’s performance in the film. He was able to show his talent for taking on demanding roles that test the best actors by turning into a heavily accented gangster who drives a tricked out Camaro with his entourage. Alien is surprisingly multi-faceted, and develops his character through his interactions with the girls.
Lastly, Korine’s story tells a side to these girls that many people don’t want to acknowledge is a part of them. The girls crave and think about sex as much as men do. As the movie begins the viewer is stimulated on by all the rampant sexuality, which deems this movie an R rating. By the end of your mind is numb to the sexually-driven choices and disregard for the law. It forces you to see what the girls are really like on the inside, living a lifestyle that’s empty and chaotic with no direction.
Overall, “Spring Breakers” moves from being a typical spring break flick to a badass party that’s full of unexpected twists and turns. With its refreshing characters and edgy performances by a talented cast, we give this movie three out of five paws.