Today’s quick review: Flashbacks of a Fool. Joe Scot (Daniel Craig) was once a successful actor, but years of drugs and hedonism have taken their toll on his psyche and his career. Just when Joe thinks he’s reached rock bottom, he learns that his best friend from childhood has died. As Joe tries to process it all, his mind drifts back to when he was a teenager (Harry Eden) and the ill-fated romance that brought him to where he is today.
Flashbacks of a Fool is an introspective drama about a dead-end actor who revisits his past. The movie tells two linked stories: one about Joe in the present, where he’s barely hanging on, and one about Joe in the past, where he’s an eager teenager with the world ahead of him. Flashbacks of a Fool tries to weave together a tapestry of love, lust, tragedy, and guilt. However, structural issues and a hit-or-miss setup hold it back.
Flashbacks of a Fool misplays its hand. It does a fine job of introducing Joe and his problems in the present, then scraps all of that for a lengthy flashback to Joe’s past. The new story has almost nothing to do with the old. There are no thematic connections to link the two, there are no hints about Joe’s past before the flashback begins, and even the childhood friend Joe is supposedly mourning only plays a bit part.
Effectively, Flashbacks of a Fool starts over from scratch half an hour in, except with slower pacing, more passive characters, and a plot that winds all over before abruptly finding a direction. The flashback also waits as long as possible to introduce the characters that matter the most to Joe, leaving the audience in a dull limbo until the movie finally lays out the stakes. The result is a disjointed movie with little emotional payoff.
Flashbacks of a Fool has a literary quality to it that some viewers will enjoy. There are one or two interesting ideas scattered around, and the premise of a man retracing the course of his life is a valid one. But Flashbacks of a Fool throws up all kinds of obstacles in the audience’s way, making it a challenge to connect to the characters or care about their struggles. Anyone looking for direct, honest emotion will want to steer clear.
For a much more moving drama about a Hollywood figure returning to his hometown after the death of a friend, check out Cinema Paradiso. For a more engaging teenage odyssey, try Igby Goes Down. For a more heartwarming story about a performer turning his life around, try Danny Collins. For a sprawling, atmospheric story about an ailing actor, try Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. For a drama that tries something similar, try Down the Shore.
[6.8 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1037218/). I give it a 5.5 for a mediocre story with poor structure and pacing.