Rosalie Goes Shopping

A buddy of mine watched this for the first time (it was my second or third) and he captured it perfectly: "It's like 'the Addams Family' in Arkansas, without the creepiness." He was right. If you like movies with small casts, that are quirky, feature great cinematography and use subtle humor to open a window to an interesting little corner of the world, this film is for you. Percy Adlon also works this magic with "Bagdad Cafe" and "Salmonberries." The only disappointment was singer Jim Lauderdale not releasing the equally endearing country/reggae fusion end credits song, "Flyin' Back to Rosalie," an absolute gem. I liked this movie so much, I actually went out of my way while driving across Arkansas to visit the town of Stuttgart, see the Riceland Mill and see the museum, all places where the film was shot.

This movie is clearly a clever, subtle satire of banking systems. The tag line is the premise of the movie "When You're $100,000 In Debt, It's Your Problem. When You're $1,000,000 In Debt... It's The Bank's." Now, in 2010, we're seeing that if banks owe many billions of dollars, then it is the taxpayer's problem. Rosalie's problem has recently become a problem for all of us. This problem is not only limited to one country or banking system.

Rosalie is not a heroine, she is the personification of consumerism gone out-of-control, and a banking system that enables it. The movie really provides an underlying warning message. It should be required watching for anyone who wants to understand why things can easily go wrong in any banking system.

Although I first saw this movie in the early 1990s, I think it will make most sense to people now, in 2010!

This film takes the word "quirky" to a whole new level. While it is a little dated now, due to advances in computers (and the fact that Rosalie's computer crimes would not likely happen today), it is such a monumentally freakish film that you just can't miss it.

How can you miss seeing the late Brad Davis in one of his most unlikely roles? And how can you miss seeing Judge Reinhold as a priest who keeps having to listen to Rosalie teling him of all her crimes? The mere spetacle of Germans in rural Arkansas is reason enough to see this fun little film. It has no big message, really, except poking fun of 1980's American consumerism, but the sheer wackiness of the family in this movie makes it a worthwhile diversion for a night when you could use a laugh.

Germans think smirking is funny (just like Americans think mumbling is sexy and that women with English accents are acting). I had to cross my eyes whenever the screen was filled yet again with a giant close-up of a smirking face. One of those 'housewife hacks corporate mainframe' tales where she defrauds a bank by tapping a few random keys on her home PC which is connected only to a power socket. The director obviously loves the rather large leading lady. Can't say I share his feelings. There's quite a funny bit when the entire family sit in front of the television chanting tonelessly along with the adverts. Apparently this review needs to be one line longer so here it is.

Basically, the point of this movie is that everyone worships Marianne Sagebrecht, both the director and her fans. She's got enough charisma and personality to carry the movie on her own. Otherwise, all it's got is a thin plot with some very funny scenes; the direction inclines to pointlessly flashy camerawork. But who cares about inessentials?