For all the vehement hate that Vincent Gallo has been generating among film critics who find him talentless, and hipsters who think him overly pretentious (check your wes anderson collection), I half expected The Brown Bunny to be nothing more than the oft-talked about Chloe/Vincnet blowjob scene.
I liked this movie, a lot. A lot, a lot, and I don't see what the hate is all about. Probably, like most similar situations, its been propagated by people who haven't actually seen the movie. Now I'm not saying Gallo has created a masterpiece, but he has certainly made something engaging and worth seeing.
Gallo plays Bud Clay, a low level motorcycle racer who is traveling from the east coast back to Los Angeles after a race. Bud is haunted by Daisy, the love of his life, who he shares a house with back home. It's evident from the beginning that something is not right between them as Bud is drawn, over the course of his journey, to several women. Each of whom shares some characteristic in common with Daisy. As desperate as Bud is to connect with this women, and thereby a part of Daisy, he cannot. After a brief meeting, and exhange of tenderness he abruptly cuts and runs form these ladies, as if some nagging guilt connected with Daisy pulls him away.
Once back in LA Bud attempts, once again, to connect with Daisy, this time the real one. Even as they finally begin to root out their underlying issues Bud cannot bring himself to forgive her for her indescretions. Nor can he absolve himself for his own part.
The Brown Bunny is about a man running to and away from an epoch in his life. Clinging desperately to the one person he loves, and has wronged. This is a vastly underrated film.