Comments on: Go (1999)

By: DL Byron

DL Byron — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 01:35:47 +0000

Thanks for the blog post. This is one if those movies that I’ve seen only segments of while traveling, in hotels, late at night. I just saw the rave scene and Googled Timothy Olyphant + Ectasy dealer and clicked to your blog. The movie is even trippier, when you only see pieces of it at a time out of order.

By: milo

milo — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 23:08:25 +0000

Great movie, I don’t think it’s really fair to fault it for not being quite as good as the brilliant Pulp Fiction. I saw this in a nearly empty theatre and have the DVD.

What I love about it is the sense of sheer desperation. So many movies get the characters into precarious situations by having them do things that are stupid and out of character. In Go Rona gets into worse and worse situations because she is backed into a corner and can’t think of any alternative.

The “amway” reveal is hilarious, as is the fantasy sequence in the grocery store and the “talking” to the cat.

The cast is great as well, with some people who were awesome that I’ve never seen since. Oliphant and Sarah Polley are particularly great, this movie got me hooked on her. She hasn’t acted that much since then but she looks to have a promising writing and directing career.

By: Ed Howard

Ed Howard — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 04:27:06 +0000

Yea I've seen this a few times but it's been a while now. It's a ton of fun though, that's for sure. It probably helped, at the time it first came out, that I had found Swingers a total disaster, just unbearable. So I wasn't going into this with terribly high expectations. I think the Pulp Fiction comparisons are pretty off-base. Tarantino's film is far richer, obviously, but then again Go doesn't really aspire to the same thing at all, so I can't really fault it. It's just an adrenaline- and drug-fueled party movie from start to finish. Nothing wrong with that. And I never would've thought I'd actually like Katie Holmes in anything, but she's pretty good here. My favorite scene, though, is still the Amway party that seems to be constantly threatening to turn into an orgy. William Fichtner is a great and very funny character actor here, it's a shame he doesn't get many other interesting parts.

By: Joe Valdez

Joe Valdez — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 21:01:08 +0000

Moviezzz: Pulp Fiction is definitely the better film, but your comment suggests that maybe it had been praised and discussed and analyzed too much. I saw it in a theater four times. Moviegoers like us needed something new and exciting and Go definitely fit the bill. It helps that the movie wasn't a box office hit and not too many lay people know about it. Jorge: Thanks for commenting. I don't think the filmmakers set out to make a kinder, gentler version of Pulp Fiction. That would be Guy Ritchie. For starters, Go is a lot less stylized and more in touch with what the kids who work the Hollywood Von's do after hours. Hedwig: I don't know if he does this anymore, but for a time, Timothy Olyphant was phoning in the sports report for L.A. alternative station Indie 103.1. He's definitely got the charisma for stronger roles and I'm disappointed he hasn't gotten many. Thanks for commenting and congratulations! I see that the Dutch killed the Romanians in Euro Cup today. Fletch: No argument, the middle segment was the best. From before those guys even get to Vegas to the time they're flee home, you know they're headed for some serious trouble. I don't know what ever became of Desmond Askew, but he definitely played the part of a derelict bastard well. As always, I welcome your comments here at the Globe. Daniel: I'd be curious to hear if this still holds up for you. I never lived the nightlife depicted in Go so was not personally invested in it. Maybe this is why the movie still held up for me. Also, instead of simply using crime to advance the plot, it's full of these odd, canted moments, terrific dialogue and energy.

By: Daniel

Daniel — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 19:54:17 +0000

Interesting choice. I also believe I saw it theatrically, but for whatever reason it didn’t stick with me. Some of those names, as you would guess, surprised me when mentioned here. You’re right, at the time they were mostly unknowns.

Anyway, now 10 years later, I’m sure I would have a different experience in watching it.

By: Fletch

Fletch — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 18:21:21 +0000

Glad to see Go getting the “Globe” treatment. It’s one of my favorite films, and it’s terribly rewatchable. Anyone who hasn’t seen it should do so immediately – it’s so well made and acted, I just can’t overstate how good it is.

Excellent point about the three segments. At gunpoint, I probably pick the Vegas one as my favorite, but it’s hard to ignore the classic scenes that the others provided. Though this didn’t impact culture like Swingers did, it’s a far better film (don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy that greatly).

I’d stop at placing it above Pulp Fiction, though. They’re certainly similar and it warrants comparison, but it’s a shade lighter.

I own the soundtrack as well. Not perfect, but some great tracks there.

By: Hedwig

Hedwig — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 07:07:39 +0000

I kind of love this film, and I’m always surprised to find someone else who’s even heard of it. I like how real the characters manage to stay within the crazy story, and Timothy Olyphant is amazing, scary and sexy and magnetic.

By: sir jorge

sir jorge — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 19:07:42 +0000

i liked this movie and while Pulp Fiction was really hard, this movie wasn’t as hard, and actually fit better to a lot of people, than Pulp did. I found it to be on similar playing field, but not as good.

By: Moviezzz

Moviezzz — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 18:30:52 +0000

I saw this theatrically, loved it, remember even arguing that it was in some ways a better film than PULP FICTION, and I own the DVD, yet other than watching the “Steal My Sunshine” video on the DVD many times, haven’t seen the film since it was in theatres.

I don’t know if I still would say it is better than PULP.