T2: Trainspotting
Directed by Danny Boyle
The lads are back and causing trouble again, in this delightful, rueful, and ultimately satisfying return to the lives of these four Scottish miscreants 20 years later. (Am I that old?).
The Nineties don't seem that long ago, yet much has changed since 1996 when the original foursome first exploded into our consciousness, courtesy of author Irvine Welsh and wunderkind director Danny Boyle. Edinburgh is demolishing its old apartment blocks and reviving depressed neighborhoods with EU grants (a key plot point, as it turns out). Even the lovely Scottish lasses greeting Renton at the airport on his return to Scotland are from Slovenia.
Much remains the same, however:
Simon "Sick Boy" (the great Jonny Lee Miller from TV's "Elementary") is still a con man.
Begbie (Robert Carlyle) is still a psychopath - a much older, heftier psychopath.
"Spud" (Ewen Bremner) seems to have changed the least and matured the most: he's trying to kick the habit once and for all. And he has a son!
And then there is Renton (Ewan McGregor) -- the smug, cocky protagonist of the story who everyone gravitates towards, but who cannot seem to get his act together.
The movie works as both a nostalgia trip (like the original, it is both outrageous and hilarious, even though much of the humor centers around heroin addicts!) and a reflective look back on missed opportunities and wasted lives. There is even a cameo by an unspeakably dirty commode (toilet) -- one of several winks to the earlier film. Boyle brings the same dynamic energy to the sequel (sonically and visually) as he did to the original: he smartly weaves-in scenes from the first film (and even re-creates scenes with four young actors who look remarkably like the younger foursome), to both compare and contrast with the characters' present day selves.
The updated "Choose Life" rant Renton delivers halfway through the movie seems forced -- although I plead guilty to several of the modern, social media-obsessed critiques. It is too bad Kelly MacDonald's Diane was given only a token (and unnecessary) scene: it woud have been a nice counterpoint to have gotten a glimpse of her maturation process (she's a lawyer now).
But the point of the movie is that the four lads haven't truly grown-up -- they are older, somewhat wiser, but are still striving for the 'high' to prove they are alive. If you never saw or didn't love the original, much of the sequel will be lost on you, especially the invigorating closing scene, a rocking affirmation that 1) you can't escape your past, and 2) why would you want to if it was so much fun?
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| Remember these kids? They are all grown-up now! |
