Director Jeremy Jasper starts his new musical in such a bold way, with a mock spaghetti western score, which is hard to be at least uninterested. What UFOs are like this movie?
We quickly learn from an apocalyptic future where a particular Plutonovich (Murray Bartlett from “The White Lotus”) controls the airwaves and people's minds in a real-life competition that shines from Onederworld Lair in Satellite City.
Despite their goofy names, these are scary times. A fresh farm girl named O'Dessa Galloway (Sadie Sink from “Stranger Things”) is informed that she is “not safe for a 19-year-old gal with stars in her eyes.” In fact, it's even less safe for parents. Both parents are sent out of the story instantly within minutes. Odessa's dad (singer Porkira Farge) was a rambler, so she was armed with a guitar and became ramblings. She naturally ends in Satylite City. There, he falls into the sweet Yuri Delbisch (Kelvin Harrison Jr.), a sex worker and cabaret singer with a heart-shaped bathtub in a funky cool home.
As he did in his previous film, Patti Cake $ (2017), this is about an aspiring New Jersey rapper, with Jasper writing a score with Jason Binnick. Their songs tend to be either emo americana or power ballads. Like “Yer Tha One,” the first style may be built second. And since Odessa has a mysterious prophecy to make it happen, she gets one song to rule everything with the title “The Song (Love Is All).” It's worth noting that everyone sings well. In particular, the sink has an unforced elegance with even numbers.
You might assume that Plutonovich is an enemy, but he is cast a shadow on Enforcer and Pimp Neon Dion (Regina Hall, who has the ball).
That era actually felt like the aesthetic of “Odessa” and when I watched the film, my mind sometimes wandered into the classic 1980 science fiction turkey. This is a way to say “Odessa” might not be good by traditional standards, but it could turn into a cult film. Certainly there are scenes that induce sufficient gasp (what happens with Neondion's electric brass knuckles is a chef's kiss). Especially because in many cases, they don't know what the director intended.
Clearly intentional is the most interesting aspect of “O'Dessa.” This is how Jasper reverses his normal role. The traditional Ramblin man has now become the Ramblin lath with a pompadour, but the prostitute with a gold heart and self-sacrifice tendency is now a sensitive man. Cliches are on your head, but are they still cliches? “Odessa” will make you wonder, and it's important for something.
Odessa
It was rated PG-13 due to mild violence and language. Running time: 1 hour 46 minutes. Check out Hulu.
