One star (R)

Hugh Jackman, Rachel Weisz, Ellen Burstyn, Cliff Curtis, Mark Margolis

The Fountain deals with the quest for immortality. Accordingly, the film takes forever to end. I’m not just popping off here. The movie is excruciating. Some have described the production as trippy, but I can’t imagine what combination of drugs it would take to make this experience pleasurable. The story, directed and co-written by Darren Aronofsky (Pi, Requiem for a Dream), goes back and forth between three settings that span a thousand years. Hugh Jackman, emoting his fanny off, is front and center in all three, with Rachel Weisz hovering in the background. Aronofsky told an interviewer that he intended the movie to be a meditation. After reflecting on The Fountain, I had a revelation. Life is short. Too short to waste time on boring, pretentious, humorless drivel like this. 95 minutes.

DVD INFO: Widescreen and fullscreen editions are available. Both include six featurettes.—EJO