Greener Grass-Sometimes Weird Doesn't Cut It
The love child of John Waters and David Lynch, "Greener Grass" much like the uninspired children in the film doesn't know where to go or what to do. Writer/Director/Lead Rolls, Jocelyn DeBoer, and Dawn Luebbe are rumored to have a cult classic on their hands with this picture that I honestly don't think will go beyond the valley of another strange film that will be available on Amazon or Netflix. I admire the world that DeBoer and Luebbe have built with an almost exact replica of the small town from "Edward Scissorhands" inhabited to the brim with blindingly bright colors and secluded suburbanites. The suburb of green grass is one that mustn't have anything destroy its perfection down to the teeth of every adult individual being perfectly straightened out by their silver braces. "Greener Grass" feels like an extended 90s infomercial parody carried out far beyond its stay.
Originally a short film of the same title "Greener Grass" is the chronicle of two competing soccer moms who exchange a child much like two young men exchanging something as insignificant as a video game. If you're trying to explore logic or reason with this film then don't, it's an expressionistic piece. The world of "Greener Grass" involves a child being turned into a dog by jumping into the pool, a man continually drinking the pool water as a means of nourishment, and parents feeding their children Alicia Silverstone style. There's an intention to these abnormalities, but they're often repeated to the point of exaspiration. With an absorbingly bizarre plot, "Greener Grass" fails to grow beyond its style.
Jill (Jocelyn DeBoer) decides to exchange her son to her friend Lisa (Dawn Luebbe) during a soccer game as an act of courtesy. Later regretting that decision Jill's life begins to fall apart mostly thanks to the peer pressure of her friends. That's all there is to it. With everything going so wrong for jill I thought the inclination of her departure from sanity would reach a breaking point where Jill would go full "John Wick" on the entire greener grass town. Unfortunately, the film settles on something far less gratifying feeling like there's an excellent setup for no payoff.
The first original short fifteen minute "Greener Grass" film does its job then leaves when it's supposed to. The feature-length "Greener Grass" has nothing beyond its pale experimentation that echoes the director's other themes from their works like "The Arrival" that interests me past its concept. I admire the unique environment that Jocelyn DeBoer, and Dawn Luebbe have built. They have a consistent style in each of their films of an overly happy/not happy colorful America, but much like so many other Directors, I feel like they need a third party to help guide their ship. There's much potential in "Greener Grass" that is wasted on lost rhythm that needs some fine-tuning.
**1/2
