In Defense of the Bunny

Don't believe the hype. The much maligned "The Brown Bunny" isn't as bad as the critics say. Directed by Vincent Gallo, the 2003 flick is about a motorcycle racer who drives across the country while thinking about his long-lost girlfriend. True, the storyline is barely there. True, the camera is trained on Gallo's face a lot. And, true, a TV commercial contains more dialogue than "B.B." However, this movie is definitely cinematic and evocative. Gallo captured some tremendous images, such as highway lines disappearing at night and cycling through Salt Flats. Critics don't like a beginner director making an abstract flick after directing an engaging sleeper ("Buffalo '66"). A director has to prove himself as a storyteller again and again before he can do something abstract, like Gus Van Sant did with "Gerry" and "Elephant." For me, I hope Gallo keeps doing what turns him on.