Review: Synecdoche, New York

Synecdoche, New York is a sprawling, ambitious work from the mind of Charlie Kaufmann that despite never really succeeding in what it sets out to achieve, should still be applauded for trying to get there.

Reviewing the film throws up certain problems, in many ways the film is severely flawed, but the moments of Kaufmann magic make it worth a watch.

This quandary is best summed up when discussing its length - Synecdoche, New York feels like it was a much longer film than it actually was.

On one hand you can view this a success - the questions of life and death covered by the film during its two hour runtime give the feel off an epic cinematic experience missing from many a blockbuster.

But, on the other hand parts of the film drag along at a snails pace, leaving the viewer feeling they've aged just as much a Philip Seymour Hoffman during the two hour runtime.

The term synecdoche used in the title is where a part of something is used to refer to the whole thing. However, in this case reviewing the film as a whole doesn't do justice to the parts of genius that lie within it.