Terrence Malick's Frustrating Theology

Hollywood loves to celebrate itself and its culture of excess, but every now and then an insider comes along with an exposé of the dark side of Tinseltown’s flashy exterior. Throughout film history, from Billy Wilder to the Coen brothers to David Lynch, directors have explored the false promises and broken spirits behind southern California’s dream factory.

Now we can count Terrence Malick among their midst. In his new film Knight of Cups, the director behind such awe-inspiring movies as The Tree of Life and Days of Heaven attempts to diagnose a case of Hollywood malaise as a spiritual problem. While that promising premise delivers some eye-catching sequences, the end result is more often than not exasperating: A film that treats philosophical and theological ideas as potpourri with which to decorate the well-furnished room its characters wander in and out of.