Not sure who had the bright idea of handing art house auteur Harmony Korine (Gummo, Julien Donkey Boy) the reins to a film about a group of babes on spring break. Like Magic Mike, Steven Soderbergh’s arty male stripper movie, Spring Breakers features plenty of tits ’n’ ass, but the somber storyline about a group of teens who rob a diner so that they can afford a trip to Florida is likely to leave you feeling depressed rather than elated. Once they arrive in Florida, the women (Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Benson, Rachel Korine) quickly befriend Alien (James Franco), a dreadlocked gangsta who has collected quite a stash of guns and ammo as he preps for a showdown with gang rival Archie (Gucci Mane). Visually striking, Korine’s ultra-violent film comes off as Natural Born Killers with college kids and the director at least deserves kudos for avoiding the predictable happy ending.

This article appears in Mar 20-26, 2013.

Jeff has been covering the Cleveland music scene for more than 25 years now. On a regular basis, he tries to talk to whatever big acts are coming through town. And if you're in a local band that he needs to hear, email him at jniesel@clevescene.com.

2 replies on “Opening: Springbreakers”

  1. Wonderful, a movie about a bunch of stupid skanks that commit crimes and party. I’ll be sure to rush out and not see this waste of time.

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