Her Smell

There are a lot of parallels to Courtney Love but they definitely avoided disaster by not naming the movie Hole Smell, or Her Hole for that matter.

Harsh, ugly portrait of a manic nervous breakdown miscalculates somewhat by observing the effect of Moss' self-destructive behaviour on those around her rather than providing a context of what it is that drives her; this causes the first acts to be as assaultive and aggravating to the viewer as it is to Moss' chorus! The final acts are much better, and really show the range and depth of Moss' extraordinary performance, which is ultimately the centerpiece here. Always nice to see Stoltz show up!

After about 30 minutes I hated this and wanted to turn it off. After getting through the first act I appreciated everything I saw before and what an incredible creation this is. It feels more like a stage play on screen, complete with audio that amplifies the feeling in that first act, and this is probably the first 'play on screen' film I've ever enjoyed. Moss is given a tough job in this film and doesn't always make me believe at first but I don't think anyone could. Great effort all around

This fictional portrait of a self-destructive riot grrrl starts off at the point that most music biopics only reach halfway through. Elisabeth Moss gives a tour de force performance that is extremely exhausting for both her co-stars and the audience. I wouldn't blame anyone for quitting early, but those who make it through the first half of the film, which is cleverly structured in a similar way to Sorkin's Steve Jobs, will be rewarded by a satisfying conclusion.

If you can survive the first three acts, the film settles down and takes an interesting turn to examine to what degree self-destruction is tied to the need to have a public persona. I found this film harrowing, but thoughtful and rewarding. Moss definitely wins the Best Performance of a Bryan Adams Song on Film award.

my hype went into overdrive during an opening cover of one of my jams, dipped for the repetitive ‘what if noe but hyperarticulate' freakout of the first half, then mildly came back around with the measured, tentative healing process, if only because the transition was so surprising coming from perry and sensitively wrought in the main. as with bujalski i can't help lamenting the career shift into relative normality though, and it almost feels like a capitulation in this riot grrrl context.

Delirious at first, filled with off-the-cuff dialogue and a kind of Punch-Drunk Love-esque score that noticeably lingers in the background and aggravates the anxiety. The second half puts all this to a crashing halt and demonstrates a proper journey for this character over the years. I've always liked Moss (and I have a weird crush on her), but she's really outdone herself here by fully inhabiting this punk diva. The only thing that sucks in this film are the songs, but that's the point.

A lot like barely surviving a tunnel collapse, realizing with no small amount of amazement that you are still alive, only to also realize that you are lost, alone, crippled, and without any sense of what survival will entail. In this case, though, punk rock destroyed the tunnel. There's a first for everything.

Not that anyone's a slouch here, but if the Oscars carried any weight for me I'd say Moss deserved one. She lends complete credibility (often to comical effect) to her character's maniacal episode, which lasts for much of the film and represents Alex Ross Perry's forte: characterizing a narcissistic monster. In fact, it's not exactly a departure from stuff like "Queen of Earth", and his weakness still shows: a lazy and simplistic idea of redemption. No amount of bad songs can cover that up.

this character in the first half is a tough role to play, and I hate to say that elisabeth moss kind of misses her mark a little bit, but the film eventually finds its footing (much like the main character), and has a great ending. one of the coolest soundtracks I've ever heard, creates such a sense of dread and anxiety almost like a safdie bros or gaspar noe film.

Moss does her best to channel Gena Rowlands. The sound design does a lot to add to the frantic energy the movie attempts to create. I miss the old Alex Ross Perry. I did lol at the band that makes it big sounding exactly like Swearin'. C-U-N-T everyone's accusing me (I'm a very smart guy who got that reference cuz as I said I'm very smart)

I'm starting to doubt Perry will reach the heights he did with Listen Up, Philip. The intense backstage scenes have off a Noe vibe for sure, but ultimately didn't pay off like his best stuff does.

Wild! Love the sound design.

Like a Courtney Love companion piece to Van Sant's (equally trying) LAST DAYS.

there's a lot great about this including an incredible performance by Elizabeth Moss and an amazing cast in general, but ultimately it doesn't significantly stand out among all the other 'self-destructive performer' narratives

An exhausting and agonizing performance by Elizabeth Moss that tunnels its way through self-destruction. A look into the toxicity that devours anything that gets near the limelight. Reluctant to look away from the gripping camera work, it's a bad taste that you get used to.

Couldn’t get past the first 30 min but will perhaps give it a rewatch next decade as others have said it gets better

The putrid, miserable first half contrasts beautifully with the sober second half. Incredible work from Moss, but don’t forget she’s a fuckin Scientologist! Never forget!

She smells like Teen Spirit.

Yet another great and intense Moss performances, possibly her most impressive one so far.

Interesting to see Ross Perry tackle this kind of movie and the long cuts are impressive, but the character arc feels too quick because of it. There's a lot in the scenes we do get, but there must be much more left out in order for the character to make such dramatic shifts and this only feels like a glimpse of that trajectory.

Apart from one quiet vignette, this is a wholly incomprehensible, drug-fueled, unlikable movie. Contains effective, suffocating close ups and an uneasy, foreboding score. Well acted, but there is zero rewatchability factor here, and it has nothing unique to say ultimately.

segmenting the structure into 5 gripping sequences is extremely my shit. good shit.

I was drawn to this film after hearing that Alicia Bognanno from my favorite band, Bully, composed the songs in the film. The use of music and sound, background and foreground, is fantastic. I was expecting something more cliche in the story, but was pleasantly surprised to see something fairly novel. Though the film needs some serious editing, it's overall a nice film with the best original music you'll hear in a film all year.

Viewed October 13, 2018.