Master Gardener -- My Honest Movie Review

Join this channel to get access to perks:

Disclaimer: All reasonable comments are welcome, including reasoned disagreements. You will be banned for foolish talk, harassment, and hate speech on sight; it's a tremendous waste of life. I believe in freedom of association and, by extension, freedom of dissociation from you.

[directorsclubpodcast]

As a Paul Shrader super-fan, I look at "Master Gardner" the way a horror or sci-fi fan looks at movies of their favorite genres. Like the tropes of those genres, there's certain elements present in a Schrader film ( lonely man trying to redefine himself via his job to atone for a brutal past and using the position as a purgatorial space, making a rigid behavioral (and physical) set of rules for behavior in said job, writing to make sense of external chaos and internal impulse, a young woman both lusted after and attempted to save ), and I find it enjoyable to see him adjust these elements in his films, emphasizing some and subverting others. For example, like the main characters in "Card Counter" and "American Gigolo", the main character tries to define himself by a strict manner of dress and hairstyle, and while that doesn't exactly work for gardening (his overalls could have come from Abercrombie & Fitch, and I LOLed at how he kept his $1000 Rolex on while planting), but such strictness in uniform and hairstyle are much more appropriate to someone who held his "past interests".

(and spot on with your comments about the 'thugs', who wouldn't be believable as bullies in a high school movie)

[apollocobain]

I thought it had some good elements but it was ultimately a mess. The idea of him being in witness protection, the tattoos, etc were decent set up for a story about becoming a prisoner of your own mistakes. Drug use, prison, racism, criminality were all part of that dynamic. She mentions how cell phone videos record her generations' mistakes forever -- OTOH he has the tattoos. That stuff could work but the characters are undercut by the unrealism of the plot and their age gap.
That Edgerton and Swindell did very well with their performances was the most interesting aspect of the movie. They somehow convey a seriousness and consistency even though their characters make choices that seem so inconsistent it is hard to take the plot seriously! It makes zero sense for her to want sex with him, same for her ex tearing up the garden for hours, same for raiding the party house, same for the ending.

[MichaEl-hlpp]

The whole name thing is directly addressed in the film. He’s called by his other name in the flashbacks and when talking to his case worker and he talks about names to Maya so he clearly is aware of his name and took it purposefully

[dublethink]

Totally agree. Ridiculous sloppy amalgamation of so many half baked ideas, unbelievable or completely absent character motivations, all of the dialogue and narration felt like a first draft, extremely low-effort. Bad costume design and cinematography to boot.

[sodajoke]

I'd be really curious of your impressions of the movie "The Believer" directed by Henry Bean, I believe it was one of Ryan Gosling's first starring roles and it was a very strange left-field place to start. Seems like it may somewhat touch on some themes in this movie, but in a very different way. These kinds of movies that ride very dangerous lines in terms of protagonist characterization always fascinate me, and although I cannot determine whether or not you'd like it I do think it's one to check out if you were curious.

[preshutchins]

I DISAGREE: I came into this movie knowing nothing are the director or the actors or anything else and I found it a bit of refreshing... Even though my first mind says this movie is very slow. But as the movie progressed I realized I was judging it based on the past 10 years of movies where they were more over the top vigilantes or anti-heroes that would be one man against an army of bad guys... Example John wick... The Equalizer...etc. but this movie seems more plausible. Maybe the bad guys did come off as more goober but if you live in the real world and have been to areas like that you would know those characters are more believable then what you see in the big budget movies.
As far as the relationship between the younger female in the older ex- neo Nazi., .. I found it interesting. Because in the beginning she didn't know his past she accepted him for who he was in that moment and she was attracted to that. If you know anything about women then you would know once a woman's heart is set she if you know anything about women then you would know once a woman's heart is set... When she finds out the true identity but she has feelings for the character then she will rationalize it in her own mind.. now the same with them having sex with a seemed a bit contrived but still plausible. I will give the movie C+.

[nomorenames]

subscribed just because you actually watch interesting movies and not just popular ones. Some of my favorite less known films are "In the Mood for Love" (2000), Silent Running (1972) and I recently found Seijun Suzuki and how he's basically Tarantino before Tarantino, Tokyo Drifter (1966) was a fun.

[artgurrl]

You completely missed all references that carried the story. The Garden, the expelling of the couple from the garden, the journey, the reckening, redemption, and forgiveness. I mean come on, the gardens name was Gracewood Gardens for pete's sake. And the last name of Roth is both German and Jewish.

[philking]

Yes, just watched this last week and had similar thoughts. Just did not make any sense.

[Ebirt]

I didn’t really know what to make of its romantic relationship. Especially at the ending where they’re back with Sigourney Weaver and they say their a couple and she’s like wtf and it’s almost played to as a Hitchcockian joke?? I wasn’t sure what he was trying to say there but I felt like conceptually it was kind of hard to pull off (the gardening neo-Nazi Schrader protagonist) but I have to give him props because at a minimum I thought it was an interesting film and it was almost a parody of his own work. Like a super ridiculous version of First Reformed.

[ethnic.person]

I hated it too but in a good way. I never had a better time losing my shit in the theater. I was probablu laughing so hard it made the people sitting next to me switch seats. Also im glad someone else finally acknowledged the Roth is a jewish name and it makes no sense that he was a nazi

[noname-bkbc]

Okay, I think you have kids....Have you seen Across the Spiderverse? I would love you to do a review on that movie as I think you might have a more objective feeling towards it. I personally think it was amazing, but I may not be able to see past my bias. You doing a review would be a public service

[henryrobinson]

'Tit cancer' have never heard anyone describe breast cancer like that in my life.
The clunk of it fron Sigourney Weaver made no sense.
Love all these actors, but have to say, neither the script nor direction worthy of the actors.
Tit cancer indeed

[mkhuselimazungula]

😂She was really turned in by those Nazi tattoos.

[christophervanasse]

Addicted to your channel. Schrader is definitely a visionary but I think you’ve convinced me to skip this one. I loved First Reformed. Didn’t see The Card Counter.

[chocolatewolfe]

It was hard to get through the trailer, which reminded me of Eastern Promises and The Gift. Both those movies were good, however this looks bleak and off-putting.

[todesque]

Sorry to hear this film isn't worth watching as I have enormous respect for Joel Edgerton, and, like you, wish he got more big roles.