“He may be a jerk, but he’s a great man.”
The Beach Bum is somewhat looser in structure than most Hollywood movies, borrowing its look and rhythms about equally from indie film and music videos. Moondog wanders around Miami and the Keys in ragged beach wear, ingesting controlled substances, having casual heterosexual intercourse, and encountering outrageous characters played by recognizable performers like Snoop Dogg and Martin Lawrence. Moondog almost misses his daughter’s wedding; he goes to rehab; he beats a disabled man and steals his money. Occasionally he writes poetry, and then people tell him his poetry is awesome. Sometimes, for variety, he watches videos of his younger self reciting poetry, and tells himself he’s awesome. Life is great, dude.
So, of course, Minnie experiences consequences. Moondog’s cheating is fine, but seeing Minnie with another man mildly disturbs the hero. Not to worry, though; shortly after he discovers Minnie’s having an affair, she conveniently dies in a drunken car crash, from which Moondog, of course, walks away unharmed in body or spirit.
Directed by Harmony Korine. R, 95 min. In wide release.
