The Beach

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tilda Swinton, Robert Carlyle, Virginie Ledoyen, Guillaume Canet
Directed by: Danny Boyle
Rating: R
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Romance
2000

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: An American (Leonardo DiCaprio) traveling in Bangkok receives a map detailing a mysterious island, rumored to be a paradise with the most perfect beach in the world. He sets off to find the island, but when he arrives, it is not exactly what he expected.

Review:

Tim: The first time I watched The Beach, I absolutely hated it. This was way back before I started this website and keeping track of movies. I admit I was not as sophisticated back then (not that I'm especially sophisticated now, but I know more than I did!). This second viewing allowed me to appreciate some things about this movie more than I did, but I still do not like this film at all.

I suppose I understand why some people might enjoy this film, but I really believe it's a misfire. The basic story is quite interesting, but the execution was lacking. I like the idea behind the story- that there's an island with a perfect beach somewhere near Thailand. However, it was almost comical how huge the island was, and its close proximity to another island (you can swim there, it's so close). And yet, no one can find it, unless they have a crudely drawn map. That part just did not make sense to me. So, the idea was cool, but it was really, really poorly executed.

That really sums up the film for me. I truly believe Danny Boyle is a terrific director, but he just missed the mark here. The film is quite uneven from start to finish. It doesn't do enough to hold our attention. The story has effective moments, but it has an equal (or greater) amount of ineffective moments. I really felt like the film teetered between two extremes.

I didn't especially care for Leonardo DiCaprio in this film. Now, I admit he has some great moments and shows flashes of real acting ability, but I still feel like he was relying too much on his looks and charisma in this film. That's one of the biggest changes DiCaprio made in his career- early on, I felt like he tried to be the heartthrob, whereas later in his career, he relied on his talent, not his looks. In this film, he still mugs for the camera a bit too much.

I like Robert Carlyle, but his role was very small here and he doesn't add much. I have never liked Tilda Swinton all that much. She gives a good performance here, but there's still something about her I just don't like. I actually did enjoy both Virginie Ledoyen and Guillaume Canet. I'm surprised neither one has had a bigger career in the United States, because they were both quite strong here.

While this film does have an interesting story and is somewhat different, I still really don't like this movie. The first time I saw it, I hated it. One of the worst scenes was the ridiculous, awful video game sequence when DiCaprio is in the woods alone. It was so over-the-top and DiCaprio looks like such a buffoon, it just gets on my nerves. I hated that aspect of the film. In fact, that's really when the movie takes a turn for the worse. (Minor spoilers ahead!) DiCaprio is semi-banished, and all of a sudden becomes kind of crazy. Except he's not. Or is he? I found this whole aspect of the film very confusing and poorly explained in the movie. It just was not handled well at all, and disengaged me even more than I was already disengaged.

I've really tried to explain why I don't like this movie, but sometimes you just have an irrational dislike for a movie. While I wish I could have rated this film lower, I can't claim it is a truly awful movie. It's a below average movie that I've always had a strong dislike for. The Beach is just a failed attempt, and a movie that always leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 5.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Man in the Iron Mask, Trainspotting, Into the Blue