A small boy squashing an insect sets in motion a series of events, large and small, that include a lost restaurant reservation, a drunken fender-bender, disruption of basic cable television service, and more than one relationship falling apart. One person's disaster becomes another's boon, and vice versa--because a man loses his job, a young girl becomes the lead ballerina in the school play, which in turn causes the death of a pet pig. These characters weave around Los Angeles and each other as seemingly mundane events fall into place, putting them on a collision course with a common fate and one heroic act of competence.
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Spoiler alert! (Sorta.)I thought this film was really interesting, fresh, and thought-provoking. I thought the relationships of the characters were clearly developed and, with the possible exception of the closing moments, so was the plot.My only problem(?) with the movie comes in the music montage in the middle in which all of the sleeping characters are shown, along with their airplane seat numbers. This is a neat scene, but it occurs before it has been revealed that all of these characters are going (or as the case may be, not going) to Hawaii. I have to believe that this was intentional, given the care that was put into the rest of the film, but I can't really figure out for the life of me why it occurs.The only possibility is to imply that it is fated that these characters are going on the trip even before the decision has been actually made and regardless of what happens next, but this seems to rob the movie of its powerful motive and moral that any of a person's actions in life have countless ramifications far beyond what they can see. Perhaps this, in the end is the true point of the movie, to illustrate the tense dichotomy between the power of the free will of man to make the choices he pleases and that of "fate" or as I see it divine sovereignty.
Wow! I'm shocked to learn that it's a small world and that we are all interconnected. What a waste of 88 minutes. John Dunne put it much better in one sentence. "No man is an island." The acting wasn't bad. The kids gave it all they had but at times the thread got so thin I couldn't follow it and the only real "hero" in the film ends up in jail after being tormented by a meter maid. I don't know. I just don't get it. Oh well.
As a producer of indie movies and a harsh critic of such, I have to say I loved this movie. It is funny and intelligent, well directed and entertaining. Hats off to the producers and directors for making a good one! I'll be watching for the next one. I gave it a 10.
It is hard to describe Bug in words, it is one of those films that truly has to be seen to be understood. It follows a narrative that is more fluid and interesting than anything I have seen lately in a Hollywood release. As its characters react to the chain of events in different ways, and as the events dictate different paths for the characters to follow, the audience is merely an observer. The almost Proustian narrative flow of thought to thought, the very spontaneity in the script will have you glued to the screen, waiting anxiously to see how it all works out in the end. And as far as the thematic elements...there is a particular sequence in the film that goes from melancholy, to bright and beautiful, and then to tragic, all within the span of about a minute. And it works.This movie is pure magic. It reminds one why independent film is perhaps the brightest star the film industry currently has. Perhaps with more movies of Bug's quality, people will start to take notice.
