Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)First I was turned off by the title, which seemed to promise a film about some form of decadence. And when my friend and I started watching this movie I was quickly prejudiced by its apparent subject matter: a self-absorbed, hard-drinking playwrite. But the intelligence and sly, low-key humor, along with a tantalizing sense of the offbeat, grabbed and then held my attention. Simon Gray, Unnatural Pursuit's writer, slowly builds character, plot and momentum. I can't recall many others who could engage my interest in what would otherwise seem so unpromising a protagonist as lead character Hamish Part. Bates, a subtle actor with the good timing of a comedian, is perfect for the lead role. The film skewers Los Angeles, bad actors, impatient directors and Texas before (with relative affection)nailing New York, the only successful destination of the play that Part has been trying to perfect. Yes, you're likely to be interested in what happens to the play. But the film uses so many surreal, comic and surprising tricks (including something which usually would be a real turn-off but which here is frequently refreshingly funny: musical interludes)that one's attention is constantly engaged by what is happening in THE MOMENT, a rare trick indeed. Humor is subtle, then riotous, with disarmingly poignant moments. One is lured into a sort of alternate universe in which midgets, alcoholism and the need for love and for being heard comprise thematic elements which slowly weave themselves unforcefully 'round the viewer. We were sorry to see it end and are now engaged in seeking out other videos of Gray's scripts, including the infamous "Butley." After experiencing "Unnatural Pursuits," almost everything else seems just a little bit stupid and predictable.
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