Tribal Trouble

When a film is as messy and excruciating as "Fierce People," it's hard to muster up the desire to analyze and write about it (suffering through it in the first place is trying enough). But the good thing about reviews is that they can serve as effective warning signs for unsuspecting moviegoers. Consider my words a friendly tip: Keep away from this film or deal with the ramifications, which may include prolonged feelings of nausea and irritation, the kind that no over-the-counter ointment can treat.

"Fierce People" is an ugly, disheveled film that sat on the shelf for two years and, sadly for us, is now being dusted off and released. It's a coming-of-age story set in the '80s about 15-year-old New Yorker Finn (Anton Yelchin) and his alcohol-addicted, masseuse mother (Diane Lane). Finn hopes to spend the summer with his estranged archeologist father in South America but like everything else in his life, his mom botches that opportunity, and he instead finds himself temporarily carted off in handcuffs. Once that mishap is resolved, the duo heads over to the fancy shmancy mansion of one of her richest clients, Osborne (Donald Sutherland), to pass the coming months.

Since Finn's summer plans will now involve playing catch with yuppies rather than examining tribes, he turns his excursion into his own breed of archaeological study: documenting how the rich folks act, and paralleling their movements and behaviors to those of uncivilized natives. And yes, it's just as tedious and gimmicky as it sounds. The point of director Griffin Dunne's film (his other credits include "Addicted To Love" and "Practical Magic," a hint that perhaps he shouldn't quit his day job - acting) is that members of the upper class can often act like despicable savages. Yeah, apparently we needed a movie to tell us that.

If you can move past the tired premise and failed attempts at depth, which permeate through Dick Wittenborn's script, based on his novel, there is just nothing worth exploring here. Much like the latest strain of torture porn flicks, "Fierce People" has two goals: to astound and disgust. Finn meets his soon-to-be-girlfriend (Kristen Stewart) and her brother (Chris Evans) after being mauled by a deer trap; there's a sociopath in the community who adds "sexual predator" to his shining list of qualities; and one character reveals that his wife had him castrated while he was under anesthesia. It's just that type of movie - there is no head-scratching stone left unturned.

"Fierce People" tries to say something new in a shocking way, but fails to do anything but endlessly annoy. The disjointed script, erratic performances and unsettling jumps in tone keep this film feeling a lot longer (and more agonizing) than its 107-minute running time. Those are precious minutes better spent with a more tolerable group of people.