Dear Wendy [2005]

I was so excited to get caught up with "Dear Wendy," a film by two major filmmakers who I have enjoyed in the past. Bringing together writer Lars von Trier and director Thomas Vinterberg to tell a parable about a serious topic like guns sounded like a great idea. Vinterberg directed one of my all time favorite tales of family dysfunction, The Celebration, while von Trier is responsible for two films that I regard as absolutely brilliant (although they are loathed by many)--Dogville and Dancer in the Dark. Dear Wendy, at first glance, would seem to have much in common with von Trier's other works--particularly Dogville. That film eschewed conventional storytelling devices and employed a theatricality, an artificialness, to achieve a higher and profound result. Written in the same style, however, Dear Wendy lacks the dramatic heft and simply comes across as theatrical and artificial.

Dear Wendy is penned as a fable and an indictment of America's obsession with firearms. Wendy, in this case, is a pistol that is beloved by the main protagonist played by Jamie Bell. I have admired Bell in his challenging film choices and I can see why this film appealed to his sensibilities as an actor. Ultimately, though, the awkward script provides little chance for any of the actors to connect with the material in a relevant or believable way. The film is narrated in a love letter written by Bell to his gun and is one of the most stilted and pretentious voice-overs you're likely to encounter. Now, I realize this story is not meant to be believable--it's a parable. While I admire filmmakers with a unique vision willing to work against expectations, Dear Wendy ends up being so preposterous and so heavy handed that I lost all good will I might otherwise have had for this bizarre picture.

Set in a small unnamed mining town, Bell falls in love with a gun. Joining forces with other teenaged misfits, they form a club called the Dandies. These kids proclaim themselves to be pacifists that love guns. In a series of over-the-top rituals, they marry their weapons and parade around town in costume. Every moment in Dear Wendy is done in such excess, it becomes increasingly hard to take anything seriously. There are constant references to gangs that people live in fear of, but the town is one square block and the only people represented are miners, the Dandies, and the sheriff department led by Bill Pullman. The dramatic high point in Dear Wendy comes when a woman, who's deathly afraid of gangs, is guarded by the Dandies as she attempts to visit a friend who lives one building away. I could outline many plot points, and even more over-the-top excesses, but the plot is not really what this is all about.

An absolute misfire on every level, I can't recommend Dear Wendy. Even as an oddity, I found it lacking any real charm, message or redeeming value. I still love von Trier, I still love Vinterberg--but this film did nothing for me--artistically, dramatically or intellectually. Try it for something unique--but in this case, different doesn't necessarily translate to good. KGHarris, 01/07.

Dear Wendy is a very interesting movie with good acting and a plot that has you fixed on the screen. The acting is authentic and believable. I enjoyed the story line and all in all it's a good movie for something different.

Quirky, weird and with a odd westernish feel this is not the normal teen movie. It is weird and has this strange detached feel to it but as far as a work of art goes, I couldnt be happier with it. For a movie with action, drama or romance go elsewhere. It is more art and entertainment and is essentially a look through a european spy glass into the american obsession with guns and maybe even the american spirit at large.