YNMS: American Honey

Murtada here. The best thing about this lackluster summer movie season, might be the trailers for fall movies. This week sees one of our most anticipated, Andrea Arnold’s American Honey starring Shia LaBeouf, Riley Keough and introducing Sasha Lane in the lead role. The film is about a young woman who joins a travelling magazine sales crew, and their adventures as they travel the midwest, party and maybe fall in love. There’s also some law-breaking.

Let’s deep dive with a Yes, No, Maybe so after the jump..... 

a face for the movies

Yes

• Andrea Arnold - working in the US for the first time, will undoubtedly give us something to talk about, and hopefully cherish like we do Fish Tank (2009).
• That face - we need new expressive faces in cinema and Sasha Lane has a great one.
• The tone - exhilarating, hypnotizing. Give us more.
• The cinematography - Robbie Ryan, who last dazzled us with Slow West (2015), seems to have worked magic once again with Arnold. Just look at few of his shots:

Maybe So

• The tone - it’s exhilarating in a two minute trailer… but at almost three hours, will we tire of it?
• Arnold has never been guilty of this in the past, but there are hints of indie movie earnestness in the storytelling. 
• Riley Keough - the actress has been a blank yet striking presence so far. Could Arnold have unlocked something more earthy and less detached in her? The camera remains totally in love with her.

• A magazine sales crew, really? Do those still exist? The particulars of the plot probably don't matter in a film like this one. And Arnold certainly seems to have crafted at least 3 distinct characters from what we can see.
• Confederate flag bikinis are having a moment in the culture. They also figured this week as plot point the second season premiere on Lifetime TV's Unreal. 
• We've been indifferent to LaBeouf so far, however this is being hailed by many as his best work. Is his involvement a plus for you?

No

• LaBeouf's rattail.

Emphatically a Yes, here. What say you?

Comments

[Jeremy]

"Arnold has never been guilty of this in the past, but there are hints of indie movie earnestness in the storytelling."

Ha. I love Fish Tank as much as the next person(best movie of 2009), but that movie had a white horse chained down the protagonist kept trying to free as a big honking metaphor for her own confinement.

Giant YES for this trailer and this movie, Shia's rat tail notwithstanding.

[Steven]

That fucking rattail is disgusting.

[/3rtful]

The lead looks racially ambiguous.

[Anonny]

I actually like Shia but I'm a no on this. Does not look appealing at all.

[Jennifer 1994]

We need new charismatic faces in cinema.

[Steve G]

I loved FISH TANK but I'm just not feeling it for this one. And three hours... sheesh.

[catbaskets]

Keough Is channeling Jena Malone here.

[Volvagia]

After Fish Tank, I'm a yes to try anything Andrea Arnold puts out.

[Steve]

After The Girlfriend Experience, count me in for all things Riley.

[summer]

Iffy on this .... Hmmmmmm

[CharlieG]

I'm a no. And I like Shia LeBoeuf and Andrea Arnold. Three hours is inexcusable.