Are You With Us?: Go
By Shalimar Sahota
April 23, 2009
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Go! actually celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. That's right. You're old.
Back in April 1999, it was released in the US during the same weekend as Never Been Kissed and had to contend with the second weekend of The Matrix. Director Doug Liman followed up Swingers with what was once described to me as a Pulp Fiction wannabe. In fact, damn near every reviewer on the planet had to list the comparisons, so in keeping with this practice, there are multiple stories with quotable dialogue and pop culture references layered with black comedy. Hell, there's even a shot from a car trunk. Where Go! differs is with its focus on the younger generation during a relentless 24-hour period.
Ronna (Sarah Polley) works at the local supermarket and could do with a good night's sleep. Having just swapped shifts with Simon (Desmond Askew) so that he can go off to Vegas, she is approached by Zack (Jay Mohr) and Adam (Scott Wolf); two TV soap opera actors expecting to find Simon on the checkout, because they want to buy drugs from him. Ronna uses this opportunity to make a little extra money so that she can pay her long overdue rent, so she explains that she'll get the drugs for them. That evening she meets Simon's dealer, scary guy Todd (Timothy Olyphant), but doesn't have enough to pay for the 20 ecstasy pills required. So she leaves her best friend Claire (Katie Holmes) as collateral, while she goes to make the transaction. What follows is a night out that just so happens to be excitedly bad for everyone involved.
The viewing experience is like watching three good short films crammed together to make a great whole. Afterwards I discover that Go had originally started out as a short film, focusing on just Ronna's story. Tacked on is a story about Simon's trip to Vegas as well as the reason behind Zack and Adam's appearance at the supermarket. Each one could work as an extended film on its own. Also it would have been equally interesting if Go displayed an alternate reality (a-la Sliding Doors) where we find out what happened should Ronna have declined to take Simon's shift. Still, a trio of connected stories gives Go that "achronological" style which back then (and even today by some degree) increases the chances of a film being labelled cool amongst teenagers. Go is a cool film, but that's more to do with the hip cast and witty script from John August.
August is also credited as co-producer and second unit director. His script manages to cover to just about everything you expect when pretty youngsters are involved, and whereas the opening credits merely sets the tone for the following hour and a half, August crams in as much unexpected twisty-ness as possible. Almost as if he knows that the audience is expecting a Pulp Fiction rip off, Claire's little speech about surprises, which opens the film, aptly sums up what's in store. It's a given that drugs will be involved, but an ecstasy trip involving the Macarena and a telepathic cat takes it overboard. A roast ham dinner turned into a ploy to recruit members into selling confederated products is cringe-worthingly uncomfortable as it is funny. To top it off, the sex is literally on fire.
It is because of the completely immoral characters, even the supporting ones, that the situations in Go manage to thrive. Without giving too much away, Zack and Adam appear to be the only ones with a hint of scruples, managing to save one character twice, but during the second time they're only doing it to save themselves!
No one character appears to hog the limelight, though the posters and DVD covers would like to make you think otherwise. If anyone stands out for me, it's Timothy Olyphant as drug dealer Todd, who apart from selling drugs, doesn't actually get the chance to display a lot of wrong-doing onscreen, yet still comes off as incredibly threatening. He even won an award for "Best Bad Boy" at the Young Hollywood Awards (he was 30 at the time of filming, though he clearly doesn't look it). He has since moved onto bigger and better villainous roles, notably playing the villain in Live Free or Die Hard.
The majority of the cast involved was largely unknown (or vaguely familiar to those in the know) at the time. Since Go, many have moved on to continued success. Katie Holmes hit a career high in Batman Begins. Sarah Polley went on to write and direct Away From Her. Even director Doug Liman moved onto more action-oriented fare with The Bourne Identity and Mr. & Mrs. Smith.
The low budget allowed the film to profit at the box office, but its reputation was delivered during the early years of the DVD boom. Going nostalgic about DVD does feel a bit weird, yet while it might be eclipsed by today's two-disc insane edition standards, Go happened to be one of the few hot films that maximized the potential of the medium at the time; a great film with a decent set of special features (director's commentary, a behind the scenes feature, three music videos).
Go can be picked up ridiculously cheaply today and is often found late at night while channel surfing. If you've not seen it, or were too young to because your parents thought it might turn you into a drug dealer (the way most films do) then give it a go. It's the best night out you've never had.