Disappointment for a huge fan!

How wonderful it is to see this fine actress carry a film and carry it so beautifully.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

Prince Avalanche is a smallish independent film directed by David Gordon Green, a renowned filmmaker in the indie film circuits. Acting wise, this film is majorly a two-hander starring Paul Rudd and Emile Hirsch. There isn't much happening in this film plot-wise which makes it a study of these two characters and an exploration of their sensitivities. Alvin played by Rudd and Lance played by Hirsch are two road-crew workers. They are also related in some way as Alvin is in a relationship with Lance's sister. They are two very different characters. Alvin is the mature, organised, reserved man, while Lance is the younger, wild, immature and naive individual. The film mainly is about the gradual development of a bond between them after initial hiccups. The film makes us witness two characters undergoing subtle changes and each of these characters get glimpses of self realisations on account of their interactions with each other through the course of the film. The fact that these two fellows are making the roadways ready for usage with the rugged, abrasive and bleak looking remains of forests ravaged by wildfire at the backdrop tells everything that you need to know about the message of the film. The director wants to say that unforeseen and unfortunate events will keep happening as we move forward on this road called life, but what has to be ensured is that we don't allow ourselves to get irreparably affected by them and we should keep moving forward and enjoy ourselves without neglecting our responsibilities. I loved how the two characters went through a whole range of emotions throughout the film which range from trying to brutally beat each other up to having very heartfelt and intimate conversations about their lives and their decisions. They are very different characters, but both manage to change the other in the best way without changing their basic identities. The cinematography is brilliant with the film being completely shot outdoors. The dark, desolate forests and the barren tree branches growing out and almost giving the film stills a 3d effect, reminded me of the cinematography in Tarkovsky's 'Ivan's Childhood'. The direction by Green has to be admired too, as a film of this structure and such themes generally involve female characters, so to make a film like this with male leads and then to make it an endearing film as a whole is an achievement. However 'Prince Avalanche' isn't without flaws. I think the dialogue writing is a bit questionable at times. There are a few scenes where the dialogue becomes a bit too blunt and unsubtle. The characters become a bit too verbally explicit in these scenes. Another flaw is Emile Hirsch's acting in a few scenes. Overall, he is good in the film, but there are a few scenes where his acting comes across as forced and it loses its believability. Paul Rudd is fantastic in pretty much every scene. There is also a montage towards the end of the film after the characters decided to throw caution to the wind, and this montage looked extremely generic, something that is overused in a lot of similar films.So 'Prince Avalanche' is not a perfect film, but it is certainly very well made and it has noble ideas and a likable message. It might not linger in your mind for too long, but the characters in the film certainly will be good company during the film.

I mean, I think this is an okay film. it sure has ideas about where it wants to go to in terms of its themes, but I personally didn't find the two main characters all that interesting or iluminative, not to mention not particularly likable. Rudd seems to be putting on a lot of superficiality for his role here, just trying too hard. But he's still not bad. Emile Hirsch comes off like the more realistic person here (and seeing the latest controversy regarding him, it's probably safe to say much of his character isn't a stretch for him) But yes, he does well, but there's so much one can do with this material. Yeah, not particularly a strong recommendation.

David Gordon Green is a very round filmmaker, making comedies and indie-hits. "Prince Avalanche" is a unique film in which we see Paul Rudd and Emile Hirsch play two road workers who spend the summer of 1988 away from their city lives. The isolated landscape becomes a place of misadventure as the men find themselves at odds with each other and the women they left behind. Green not only enthralls us into the emotions of these two characters but he immerses us into their jobs. These men play characters who barely live outside their isolation. David Gordon Green's direction is a spectacular bond between the details of nature outside and indie humans. He shows gorgeous natural elements including trees, animals, fire, rain etc. mixed with all different kinds of emotions from Rudd and Hirsch. Green is trying to examine the way humans interact and how everyone is similar to each other in some way no matter how different they may seem. This fits due to the different personalities between the two men focused on. With only four people in this film, Green doesn't really have a plot. Instead, he focuses on fusing the personalities of his lead characters to subtlety creep up on you. The friendship between Rudd and Hirsch is a natural relationship that we fall in love with. Their friendship and lifestyles rule the energy and emotions "Prince Avalanche" possess. With creative long shots, gorgeous music to carry each shot, intelligent humor, and an emotionally-fueled friendship to drive the soul, "Prince Avalanche" works on every level. Paul Rudd shows signs of a serious actor while Emile Hirsch is harder to grasp to. He's annoying in many scenes. There's so many different emotions going on to drive you like a whirlpool that almost all of humanity's traits are shown. Green's simple plot is carried by his smart writing and gorgeous directing that overthrow the absurd climax and give you and rich story that examines human nature and creates a new type of film. This is extraordinary work.

It's 1988 and wildfires have ravaged the Texas countryside. Alvin (Paul Rudd) took a job to paint the lines on the road to get away from the world. He takes his girlfriend's slacker brother Lance (Emile Hirsch) along for the job. Alvin doesn't see much in the sex obsessed Lance, and Lance is chaffing at the isolation.This is a very small indie with basically the two main actors in most of the scenes. These are two good actors with a lot of sex talk, relationship struggle, and an aimless story. There are a couple of chuckles and a few interesting scenes. However they are too few and far between. It doesn't have the energy of a road movie or the poignancy of a relationship story. The last third turns up the heat, but it quickly becomes silly. I think there is a good half-movie here. The rest of this doesn't have enough energy. It's very subdue.