Sunday, April 28, 2024

A Second Look: Kurt & Courtney: All Apologies

 

Welcome back for another edition of A Second Look with Jeff Stockton! In this segment I will take a "second look" at a past LRF release with a fresh set of eyes.

This latest edition of A Second Look is a bit more random than usual. I decided to take a second look at Kurt & Courtney: All Apologies this time around.

I was a pretty big supporter of the film when it was released - especially Ben Foster's performance as Kurt Cobain toward the end of his life as his out-of-control drug use began to negatively impact every aspect of his life. I felt like it maybe steered a little too close to music biopic convention at times, but it was still a solid film.Kury & Courtney: All Apologies somehow overcame its behind-the-scenes turmoil to become a very good music biopic (production gossip really isn't my style, but my sources tell me that Alex Conn joined the project part-way into production as a co-writer and tried to force primary writer Lon Charles to cast Timothee Chalamet as Kurt Cobain and Bella Thorne as Courtney Love). Obviously Charles' casting choices turned out right as Ben Foster won Best Actor as Cobain and Riley Keough was nominated for her performance as Love. 

After my second look at the film, it still holds up quite well (and Charles was definitely correct in sticking to his casting instincts with Foster and Keough). Most of the problems with the story of Kury & Courtney: All Apologies stem back to the real-life issue of neither lead character being particularly relatable or likable. Cobain and Love both act very selfishly, although Keough's performance manages to break through Love's real life demeanor, revealing the person beneath the surface. I would have liked the film to be a little more creative or unique from a storytelling perspective, but I do appreciate that the story did not shy away from the negative aspects of its iconic characters like many biopics do.

Original Grade: B+

New Grade: A-

Kurt & Courtney: All Apologies Link: 
https://lrfdatabase.weebly.com/kurt-courtney-all-apologies.html


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