review from viewpoint.com

by jm dobies, may 15, 2008

Pros: Great Cast, Fairly Faithful to the Novel
Cons: Disturbing Rape Scene

1997's Bongwater, directed by Richard Sears, is an adaptation of an excellent novel by Michael Hornburg (Downer's Grove) starring Luke Wilson as unlucky pot dealer named Dave. When his flaky girlfriend (Alicia Witt) leaves him, she also manages to accidentally set fire to his house. Thus begins a series of amiable misadventures set in and around the stoner culture of Portland, Oregon. There is, however, a scene with Witt's character set in NYC that is anything but amiable, and the sudden change in tone is especially jolting.

Wilson is immensely likeable in the role, and is ably supported by a great cast, which includes Jack Black as guerilla grower Devlin, who is also a troubadour, performing a nice version of "Jesus Ranch," a song Black wrote for his folk-metal band Tenacious D (Kyle Gass, Black's collaborator with the D, is also on hand in a mostly silent role). Also in the cast are Brittany Murphy (in full-on kooky and annoying mode), Amy Locane, Jeremy Sisto, Scott Caan, and Andy Dick. Now, I don't often enjoy Andy's antics, but he's pretty funny here, as his line readings are spot on, particularly when he refers to Witt's character as "carrot crotch."

Though certain characters and subplots have been lost, the film is true to the essence of the novel, and captures the feel of a certain moment in time, the height of '90s slackerdom. If you know what I'm talking about, you will probably love this movie.

Especially if you're in a similar frame of mind as most of the characters.

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