Synecdoche, New York

Charlie Kaufman, the screenwriter whose previous efforts include Adaptation, Being John Malkovich, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, makes his directorial debut with this deliberately obtuse black comedy that boasts a sterling, largely female cast of arthouse favorites (Samantha Morton, Catherine Keener, Hope Davis, Emily Watson, and Jennifer Jason Leigh) and is suffused with an unmistakable this-is-much-too-clever-for-you-suburbanite-multiplex-viewers attitude. Philip Seymour Hoffman stars as New York playwright Caden Cotard, who wins a “genius” grant enabling him to stage a massive, autobiographical theater piece that consumes practically his entire life. Boiling down the gist of the film into one sentence is admittedly a bit of an oversimplification, but the baffling multi-strand plot and multiple characters in this life-imitating-art and art-imitating-life mindbender wannabe would take pages to enumerate. Unfortunately, the talented Kaufman tries to have things both ways, simultaneously mocking pretension in art while being pretentious himself, and the film loses momentum altogether towards the end when Caden reaches his elder years and the plot's pointlessness becomes abruptly apparent. While there's considerable imagination on display in Synecdoche, New York, Kaufman is clearly far less concerned with telling a coherent or absorbing story. Optional. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a 37-minute “Infectious Diseases in Cattle” bloggers' roundtable, an NFTS/Script Factory Masterclass with filmmaker Charlie Kaufman (28 min.), an “In and Around Synecdoche, New York” location featurette (19 min.), “The Story of Caden Cotard” interview with star Philip Seymour Hoffman (12 min.), three screen animations segments (5 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is the BD Live function. Bottom line: a solid extras package for an ambitious if also seriously flawed film.] (E. Hulse)