Film Capsule: Prince Avalanche

Prince Avalanche feels slow and labored, and there are entire sequences that lead one to believe David Gordon Green’s screenplay should have been adapted for the stage. But there’s also a whole lot of living in between, thanks in large part to the casting of Paul Rudd – an A-List rom-commer whose commitment to this role is evident in everything from the cheesy mustache to the excess weight gain. Otherwise, you’ve got Emile Hirsch doing his very best Jack Black (circa 1995) and that old dude who played Buck Greene in Magnum, P.I. handling the role of backwater sage.

There’s more, of course, including some not-so-subtle subtext about not treating mother nature like a whore. But it’s a long rode to ho in order to get somewhere the majority of us have already been, and you might very well find yourself nodding off along the way.

(Prince Avalanche opens at The IFC Center and Lincoln Plaza Cinemas in New York City this coming Friday.)

Prince