Wristcutters: A Love Story

Wristcutters: A Love Story (2006): Suppose, if you will, that when you commit suicide, rather than going to purgatory, heaven, hell or someplace else, you wind up in a land very similar to your past but just a bit off center and a bit worse than where you were. That is the premise of this rather unusual and somewhat pixilated movie. Our lead has offed himself over a girl and winds up in a low paying job at Kamikaze Pizza in a shabby world inhabited by other suicides; everything here is run down, drab, dust covered and unsightly. New subdivisions with neat lawns and well painted homes just don’t seem to exist here. Soon he learns that his ex-squeeze has also offed herself and sets out on a journey to find her. The rest becomes a road movie involving a weird Russian (brilliantly played by Shea Wiggam), a hitchhiker who claims she got there by mistake and is looking for “the people in charge”, a messiah, and a bizarre holiday camp. In this weird semi-world, miracles happen often but only when they are not very important, parties are all boring, disappointment is always just around the corner and no one can smile. Suicide is often contemplated but most are afraid the next life will be even worse. The movie is actually a treatise on knowing what you really want in life and knowing what has true value.
While definitely off center, the movie comes up with a few life lessons and actually has a happy ending. Making a comedy about suicide is difficult but this movie has hit most of the right notes and speaking of notes, a fellow reviewer noted all the musicians in the background music had offed themselves. The movie is rated R for; floating matches, suicidal Russians, dented cars, excessive trash and dust, and for the “people in charge”.