Buffalo '66 review

 Number 815 on the top 1000 films of all time is Vincent Gallo's 1998 independent-drama 'Buffalo '66.'

Billy Brown (Vincent Gallo) has just been released after a five-year prison sentence. He kidnaps tap dancer Layla (Christina Ricci) and coerces him into pretending to be his wife while they have dinner with his parents. The two form an unlikely relationship.

This was a strange film. It was surreal in both its subject matter and visual style yet it kind of worked. Despite the hokey plotline, it was still quite entertaining. 

This was despite how Billy and Layla's relationship was completely absurd. Maybe the 90's was a simpler time, because if a man snatched a girl off the street in 2024 and asked her to pretend to be his wife, he would get a kick in the crotch and a face full of pepper spray. Maybe he would form a twisted connection to her, but there's no way she would reciprocate his feelings.

But that's exactly what happens in Buffalo '66 even though it doesn't make any sense. It's not like Billy Brown is a hoodlum with a heart of gold. He kidnaps Layla and is constantly rude and abusive to her. He is controlling, coercing and a borderline bully. It didn't help that the two lacked chemistry - probably due to how Ricci and Gallo clashed behind the scenes. Although Ricci was good, it seemed like Gallo was playing every East-Coast Italian-American mob stereotype ever. Considering he worked for the mob as a kid this all makes sense.

This criticism notwithstanding, the film's surrealism is what made it watchable. This was no more present than the famous family dinner scene where Layla sees how dysfunctional Billy's parents are - played by Angelica Huston and Ben Gazarra. His mum can't remember that her son has a chocolate addiction. His dad is more interested in Layla than his wife. This gave the film a lot of off-the-wall humour.

I'm really not sure what to make of Buffalo '66. The storyline was complete nonsense. And the leads had no chemistry yet it was still entertaining and memorable.