I'm a huge Terrence Malick fan. I've seen Badlands at least a thousand times. It's my all-time favorite movie for every possible reason. I'm also in awe of Malick's Days of Heaven for a number of different reasons. So when I heard bad things about his latest movie, The Tree of Life. I thought, "Wow, Malick made a lousy movie?" Impossible.

Well, I saw The Tree of Life, and I am sad to report that Malick is human after all. It was like seeing Kubrick's last movie, Eyes Wide Shut. You go into the theater wanting to be transported to a magical movieland where you lose yourself and all your worldly problems in the dark theater wrapped up in a snug comfortable time blanket and your mind is taken to that special place where the sounds and images all come together in harmony. I so wanted to like this movie, but it never happened. It was all anticipation with no substance. Like smoking a joint made entirely of leaves. No bud, no cannabis crystals, nothing to get you off. Watch the trailer below

The slide show of Hubble photos of the galaxies set the tone for a bad movie. The voiceover of the wife was dialed down so low that I never got what she was saying. I'm a bit deaf so that was a problem right off. In Badlands, Sissy Spacek tells the story so well you always know where you're at and what's going on. The Tree of Life is very confusing. The visuals in the early part of the movie never paid off. Did we go back to the beginning of time? Eternity has no beginning - that's why it's called eternity -  and no end. The Big Bang Theory tries to explain the "beginning" of this universe, but who or what caused The Big Bang?

This is one problem, then we get into the "story" of a 1950s American family. The wife is beautiful and perfectly groomed. She raises three boys, yet always looks like she's ready for a modeling engagement. She never does a spot of housework. No cleaning, washing clothes by hand or cooking. Brad Pitt, who produced the movie, is a study in miscasting. He should've had the Sean Penn role and Sean should've played the father. But this is why Brad produced this mess so he could have the more "meaningful" role. Sean Penn knows how to get inside the character. He would've shown us the whys and hows of a father who tries to force his kids to love him. Brad plays a part. Sean becomes the part. Watching a movie is a bit like going to a horse race. You need to have some one to root for. You need an "underdog" storyline. I neever found anyone to root for in The Tree of Life. I just sat there wanting it to be over.

We all have our good days and bad days. This is one of Terry Malick's not-so-good days.



Read more blogs by Top CelebStoner Tommy Chong

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