(2000)
1.5
Buzz McClain
It's easy to see why this star-riddled, frequently fascinating glimpse into the tragic (two murders) lives of the Beat Generation's influential writers sat on the shelf before emerging on video two years after it was made. The pretentious dialogue recited by chain-smoking intellectuals trying to have sex with each other amid exotic Mexican scenery has only so much appeal, and even at 89 minutes, die-hard Beat fans will grow weary. Any action is nominal and tension is fleeting. Kiefer Sutherland comes as close as any to doing an impression of the original, but his lock-jawed slur is more of a distraction than a character affliction. Courtney Love seems at home in her role of the drug-addled negligent mother drawn to having sex with celebrities.
Beat on AllMovie
Beat (2000)
