No assembly RequireD

The Weeknd is ready for The Weeknd to die. For anyone who is a familiar fan of the Canadian singer, also one of the world’s best selling artists, can see that here is an artist starting to grow increasingly tired of his own fame. It is a tale as old as time but for Abel Tesfaye, who created The Weeknd persona, this new decade has been about creating music to explain what he hopes is his demise. His albums “After Hours” and “Dawn FM” are all focused on the horrors that he has created so it only makes sense that his latest album “Hurry Up Tomorrow” is all about killing those demons. But even when an artist claims to want to slow things down it is obvious that they too have to look forward and see how they can expand their art. HURRY UP TOMORROW a visceral psychological (horror?) directed by Trey Edward Shults is very much a companion piece to boost album sales as well as one of the biggest vanity projects of the decade (and that includes a time where Robbie Williams’ “Better Man” exists). A film that finds itself mixed in between extremely frustrating and fascinating TOMORROW is so specifically personal that its more cinematic elements often feel like its own film circling around the mind of Abel/The Weeknd but never finding a way to blend together. Instead it plays like a prolonged music video with two go for broke performances (neither from The Weeknd himself), intoxicating visuals, a bumping score, but above all else a film that treads in the shallow while trying to feel deeply profound. For die hard fans HURRY UP TOMORROW will be an interesting litmus test while everyone else may feel tricked. But The Weeknd has found great success in the music world and has always displayed his love for cinema through interviews and his music videos so if nothing else HURRY UP TOMORROW may just become a mere excuse to hear Blinding Lights come out of Dolby theater speakers.

There is a cohesive story happening in HURRY UP TOMORROW no matter how much it wants to feel experimental. Trey Edward Shults is a captivating filmmaker displayed in films like “It Comes at Night” and “Waves.” Two films that rode on the success of the directors ability top create “vibes” over story. Some may laugh at the notion but no matter the film Shults knows the story he is trying to tell. With a script from himself, Reza Fahim and The Weeknd the story is simply just an artist trying to understand his own fame. The Weeknd plays a semi-fictional version of himself as he battles the chaos of touring which includes his aggressive manager Lee (Barry Keoghan) and eventually broken vocal cords. TOMORROW is very much based on real experiences including The Weekend’s real experience with losing his voice during a concert which led to a tour cancellation. But regardless of the pain, walking off the stage in front of a paying stadium doesn’t bode well. HURRY UP TOMORROW in its best ways channels the ferociousness that comes from trying to entertain thousands of people. Cinematographer Chayse Irvin throws you right into the chaos playing with lights that feel like they are moving in and out of your body and mind as it quickly starts to lose control of what is real and what we create ourselves. The score from The Weeknd and Daniel Lopatin (aka Oneothrix Point Never) pulsates through your body bringing you right into a concert with the price of a movie ticket. It’s exciting stuff that also feels limited leaving you wondering “are we just going to listen to the entire album?” In fact HURRY UP TOMORROW really does feel like a visual album with a smalls tory thrown in and around. That is until Anima (Jenna Ortega) enters to give the film some needed cinematic balance. Ortega one of the biggest names currently in Hollywood is given her most over the top role as a young fan obsessed with getting the real truth out of The Weeknd. It is here where The Weeknd shows his obsession with the horror genre channeling (all at the most surface level of ways) “Misery,” “Single White Female,” and even “Funny Games.” It is comical at best to see him attempt the same energy and yet Ortega dancing to Blinding Lights as she chastises The Weeknd for his past works is an early contender for scene of the year. If nothing else HURRY UP TOMROROW is a great defender in reminding people that not so great movies can have pretty amazing moments.

But even in reviewing a film like HURRY UP TOMORROW it feels like more work is being done both to criticize or praise it meanwhile the filmmakers hardly seemed to give it there all. The Weeknd knows he is a success and while it may be admirable to do some soul searching it still feels like cheating to use bare bones movie moviemaking as that vessel. The film even in its best moments (and there quite a few) still brings us back to the album as The Weeknd performs several songs that scream buy my record. In fact one might even want to check on the sales figures after this week. Perhaps however it is all due to the fact that the songs do tell a genuine story of pain whether it is “Cry for Me’ or the titular closer “Hurry Up Tomorrow” a song so beautifully song acapella that you do have to give credit where credit is due. But even with all this intensity of showing off the album the film suffers more as opposed to truly engaging moments involving The Weeknd and Anima sharing a meet cute followed by a dreamlike night that can only end in a nightmare. But even with these more cinematic moments the film still heavily relies on the sincerity of The Weekend and how far this belief of sincerity will take you will certainly vary on your appreciation or criticism of the artist himself. It’s kind of of a shitty corner to box yourself in but when you want to make a movie about breaking the image and moving away from the “monster” you’ve created maybe don’t let said monster take control of the film no matter how catchy the songs.

B-

HURRY UP TOMORROW IS IN THEATERS FROM LIONSGATE