Pi

Starring: Sean Gullette, Mark Margolis, Ben Shenkman, Pamela Hart, Lauren Fox
Directed by: Darren Aronofsky
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, Thriller, Science Fiction
1998

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A mathamatician (Sean Gullette) searching for a 216-digit number that could reveal the pattern to everything, clashes with Wall Street investors, Hasidic Jews, and his own mental state as his search begins to turn into an obsession.

Review:

Tim: I sometimes have a difficult time watching the directorial debut of an obviously very talented individual. This is the feature film debut of Darren Aronofsky, an intelligent, challenging man. I love how he pushes the boundaries of what we expect out of our films. For this reason, I wanted to love this movie. It was the birth of his genius. However, this is also the first feature length film he's directed, and this shows up throughout the movie. You can always feel when a director is completely in control of his movie, and when a director is still in the early stages of learning his craft. Pi is certainly an interesting, thought-provoking movie. However, while I was intellectually intrigued, I didn't really feel anything. I think good movies have to hit both areas, and this one misses the mark.

I don't want to criticize this movie too much, because this is the type of movie I want to see more of in Hollywood. I love the idea of numbers governing everything in the universe, and if we could only understand the patterns, the whole world would open up to us. The very idea behind Pi is terrific, and I love that aspect. However, the movie itself doesn't live up to its original idea. I appreciate that Aronofsky creates a visually unique movie. It is shot in black and white, and oftentimes looks unlike anything else we've seen on screen. That was cool, and I appreciate the effort not to follow every other movie out there.

The story is not necessarily unique. We have a brilliant man who begins an obsessive search for something that ultimately threatens to destroy his mind- and possibly his life. This is told fairly well, but there are a number of clumsy moments as well. Aronofsky is obviously talented, but this movie could have been tighter. As a feature film debut, however, this is impressive. There are certainly flashes of brilliance throughout this movie. Sadly, there are not enough of them to really make this a great movie.

The cast is fine. Sean Gullette is believable as a brilliant but somewhat disturbed mathamatician. He has the necessary intelligence and portrays this well on screen. However, I also don't think he is necessarily a fantastic actor. He does a good job here, but I feel like he maxed himself out in the role. The rest of the cast is decent, but I especially liked Mark Margolis. He is a very good actor, and his presence here helped the movie.

Pi almost felt like an intellectual exercise to me- a math problem. It was intellectually quite stimulating, but it ultimately led to very little of meaning. By the end of the film, I thought to myself, "Hmm, that was interesting." But that was it- this movie didn't impact me in any lasting way. I felt a bit smarter for thinking about such concepts, but I felt unchanged. I believe the best movies all change us in some small, even nearly imperceptible way. That did not happen here. Sure, I was mostly entertained and intrigued, but I wanted more from this film. Aronofsky has the talent to do that, but this is his first real movie, and it just doesn't happen. I might be being a bit harsh on this movie, but I can't help it. I love the idea and I appreciate the occasional flash of brilliance, but I don't love the movie. I certainly think this shows the talent Aronofsky has, and as he continues to progress as a director, and I sure he will deliver a masterpiece or two. Pi is decent, but a masterpiece this isn't.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain, The Wrestler, Black Swan