A.J. Hakari
11-28-2001, 10:57 PM
The year is 2053. Years have passed since the Second American Revolution, where the intelligent elite were forced to battle the jobless, who possessed lower intelligence. As a result, the current government has solved the problem by making everyone in the United States average. But while his classmates are congratulated for getting C's and C-'s, young Harrison Bergeron (Sean Astin) is "cursed" with a gifted brain; he gets A+'s on tests and can blow other students out of the water. On the night before a scheduled brain operation that will render Harrison average, our hero discovers an underground world that secretly runs the show, people with intelligence like his that don't have to wear bands around their heads controlling their smartness. But it soon becomes clear to Harrison that the country is worse off than it was. Now Harrison finds himself fighting to clue the clueless citizens of the U.S. on the truth: their lives are being run for them.
Adapting the works of Kurt Vonnegut is a risky business, but the makers of HARRISON BERGERON got it right. The film, a made-for-cable movie that often shows its mildly slipshod production values, is in the tradition of 1984, a chilling and darkly comic depiction of a future society where everyone is average, and thus, Presidents are elected by punching in random numbers, sitcoms are screened to cut out the more amusing moments, and nobody like Beethoven could ever be born.
Sean Astin gives a commanding performance as Harrison, a young man whose eyes are gradually opened up to seeing what bad making everyone average has done. Christopher Plummer does solid work as well, playing an underground official with some secrets of his own. It was a bit odd, though, seeing virtually every comic who was really popular in the '80s make an appearance (Howie Mandel, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, and Buck Henry are among the cameos). Then again, this is exactly the sort of thing were oddness is expected.
HARRISON BERGERON is a good piece of compelling writing and exceptional acting. The directing could use a bit tightening, and the ending been less predictable, but I appreciated the spooky touches added to the climax, and the film's message is sure to touch base with most people.
Adapting the works of Kurt Vonnegut is a risky business, but the makers of HARRISON BERGERON got it right. The film, a made-for-cable movie that often shows its mildly slipshod production values, is in the tradition of 1984, a chilling and darkly comic depiction of a future society where everyone is average, and thus, Presidents are elected by punching in random numbers, sitcoms are screened to cut out the more amusing moments, and nobody like Beethoven could ever be born.
Sean Astin gives a commanding performance as Harrison, a young man whose eyes are gradually opened up to seeing what bad making everyone average has done. Christopher Plummer does solid work as well, playing an underground official with some secrets of his own. It was a bit odd, though, seeing virtually every comic who was really popular in the '80s make an appearance (Howie Mandel, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, and Buck Henry are among the cameos). Then again, this is exactly the sort of thing were oddness is expected.
HARRISON BERGERON is a good piece of compelling writing and exceptional acting. The directing could use a bit tightening, and the ending been less predictable, but I appreciated the spooky touches added to the climax, and the film's message is sure to touch base with most people.