Stuart Bliss (1998)

Sick Product of a Sick System

Fantastic!

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

To keep it short this movie is one of those 'you've seen it, you can't unsee it' type movies. A marvel of modern movie-making. I saw it a few years back and again yesterday and it's as fresh as it was when I first saw it. I find the surreal world is created by it's words, it's ideas and it's ideals. Strange and haunted but no more so than a dream. If you are the kind of person who can't understand James Bond movies, this is not for you. On the other hand, if you are smart intellectual and sexy, this movie will give you feverish dreams for Months. Listen to my advice, see this movie. If you don't like it, meh. But if you understand it, it will stay with you and influence you like Hollywood films never do. Everything I write, essays, novels, etc. Everything I say, has been effected by seeing this movie. Now what are you waiting for, go! Watch this movie!

This is a creepy and realistic vision of a man who is either a paranoid schizophrenic or a prophet. You will have to give the film about 30mins grace or more before it begins to keep you amazed, but it will. Fans of David Lynch and Donnie Darko should go for this.

This is one of the strangest films I have ever watched, but the strangeness is something completely different from, say, "Donnie Darko" or "Abre los ojos." The strangeness lies not in a man in a rabbit suit or a man who lives in a dream, but rather in everyday occurrences. Perception is the key to "Stuart Bliss," whether it be time, chance occurrences that seem to be linked, perhaps even mental derangement. No answer to any question asked by the film or the audience should be expected. Like Stuart says of time, how it is able to move backwards and forwards, this film seems to present a portrait, a snapshot, of something that is blurry and cannot be entirely distinguished. Watching the film more than once, however, allows for the viewer to notice details that went by unnoticed the first time. For example, anyone watching this film should pay attention to the pink notices Stuart keeps receiving, as they play a keep part in understanding the film, at least as much as it can be understood. This is a film that is difficult to describe or dissect, as it could be about any number of things. Details of a larger picture manifest themselves throughout the whole, but they never come into focus. One can only guess from the outline at what is being presented, and this must be seen through his or her own subjective perception. "Stuart Bliss" is not a filmmaker's film, despite the fact that the director and primary actor also performed most of the other key production tasks. Rather, it is more of a philosophical and/or psychological work, something even movie buffs might not be able appreciate. Incidentally, I found Michael Zelniker's acting to be more than competent, especially in the way his character slowly degenerates throughout the course of the film, which "ends" in a perfect circle. I only recommend this film to those who actually have the ability to notice and appreciate subtlety and mentality that lies outside the norm. "Stuart Bliss" has given me a new influence and means of perception, not just in film, but in all art, and even life itself.

Stuart Bliss is so funny, and in a very dark way. The filmmakers are especially successful because they weave the tail by planting these ideas early on that pay off later on and in totally believable ways. But they never let us off the hook. We are constantly wondering, are the things happening to Stuart really happening, or only in Stuart's mind. They mine the idea that perception is reality with hilarious implications. I recommend seeing STUART BLISS more than once in order to get all the subleties offered by the filmmakers. Great to see such an inventive, original movie.