Most of the time when I go to see a movie, I already have a good idea what I am about to see, mostly from watching trailers and reading (or listening to) reviews. Not this time. Armed with only an totally incomprehensible flyer, and good faith in both the Ebisu Garden Cinema selection and in Jude Law (who is the centrepiece in promoting this film in Japan, even though he is more of a supporting actor in the movie itself), we went to see the film with the tricky title, and it was quite a ride.

Dustin Hoffman and Lily Tomlin are existential detectives. They are hired by Jason Schwartzman, who needs to find out why he keeps running into a young Sudanese refugee, but who wants the investigation to stay clear of his delicate work situation, where his position as chairman of the Potomac Chapter of the Open Spaces Coalition is threatened by Jude Law, a marketing executive for the Huckabees Corporation, who has his own agenda when pretending to try to protect nature's wetlands, and who furthermore believes that running a star-studded campaign could more effective than reading poetry. That he envies him for his girlfriend (Naomi Watts) does not help, either.

What could help is to meet someone with similar issues, such as his other. Mark Wahlberg, a fire-fighter (not a hero) with a fierce petroleum aversion. The problem here of course is that Wahlberg has now subscribed to the competing existential theory developed by Isabelle Huppert, who gives everyone a lesson in human drama.

8 points