Smoke Signals

For starters, there are so many classic lines in this film. The first being that line I used as the subject for this review. "It is a good day to be Indigenous." I don't think we hear that everyday! The negative view of native people even today is really disturbing, and I think when people regardless of background see the portrayal of indigenous people in films, television shows, literature and education it continues to horrify and astound us all.

Secondly, the story is a wonderful and important one that I think everyone can relate to. It touches on the theme of fathers and the relationship with their children. Victor (Adam Beach) is an bitter, angry and distrustful young man who grew up on the Coeur D'Alene "Rez" with his bespectacled friend/nemesis Thomas Builds-the-Fire (Evan Adams). These young men are growing up in a culture separate from mainstream white culture--a culture they eventually leave when they go to retrieve the ashes of Victor's deceased father. What starts out as a road trip turns into something more significant than either of them could've imagined. It becomes ceremonial, and a real opportunity for maturity that changes their relationships with each other and themselves.

Finally, the acting is wonderful. The lead actors are engaging, believable and sympathetic. The supporting cast is strong and they really capture the essence of Alexie's novels. When I read TONTO AND LONE RANGER FISTFIGHT IN HEAVEN (specifically the short story, "This is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona," which the film was based on), the way I envisioned the characters (how they would look, how they would talk, etc) matched the image exactly!

Take it from me, a Sherman Alexie fan and self-proclaimed "culture vulture".....this film is all that and a stack of fry bread!


dissenting opinion   August 16, 2000
Astral Traveler (Englewood, CO)
14 out of 18 found this review helpful

I just browsed through the basically unanimously positive reviews here and thought I'd offer a somewhat dissenting opinion. After all, most of the reviews on Amazon.com tend to be positive, since the people who visit any given listing are usually people who enjoyed the film, music, book, etc. I'm a fan of Sherman Alexie's writing, which I find fresh, unique, totally engaging and entertaing. I had eagerly anticipated the release of Smoke Signals when I had heard Alexie was writing the screenplay. I left the theater on opening day very dissapointed.

Part of the problem was of course that it was an adaptation of stories that I was already quite fond of. I didn't appreciate the attempt to make Thomas Builds the Fire so cutesy, when I had envisioned him as quirky and strange (in a good way). I can still hear the girls sitting behind me going "awwww" everytime he said anything. I like to think of Thomas as a guy most people wouldn't get, but the character in the movie seemed clearly designed to create the above response. It also lacked the freshness of Alexie's written voice. Had it not had Native American characters, it would be indistinguishable from hundreds of other ensemble type coming of age road films. My feeling was that this was essentially an attempt to make a commerical film created by Native Americans. I think that had Hollywood ever the guts to make a movie that didn't feature whites or blacks as the main characters and they decided to make a film with Native characters, something not too disimilar from Smoke Signals would have been the result.

That said, the film wasn't BAD. But it wasn't great or outstanding... unless you want to listen to every single one of the 86 reviews before mine :-) Anyway, that's my opinion, and I hope Alexie's next film project lives up to my expectations.


Very "Un-Hollywood" Telling of a Universal Story   April 5, 2000
12 out of 14 found this review helpful

"Smoke Signals" is that most refreshing of movie projects -- one that defies many of the Hollywood conventions, yet still conveys a story to which everyone can relate.

Yes, the film (based on Native American author Sherman Alexie's "The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fight in Heaven")is told from a Native perspective. The first surprise? It does not rattle off an angry tirade against white domination (not that such isn't understandable). Instead, it pokes gentle fun at the ways in which non-Indians stereotype tribal people, and often deny them a place in the contemporary world. The jokes are funny, and while many are really "inside" jokes that Native Americans will more fully appreciate, they are still appealing to a wider audience.

There are other surprises. A scene that suggests the start of a violent confrontation forgoes the "Rambo" outburst and instead gives us a contemplative and somewhat ironic turn of events. Another scene sets up the audience for expecting big trouble, only to pull the rug out and show a humorous resolution. Even so, this is a serious film in many ways. It's about how we remember a painful past, it's about finding ways to forgive even when we don't fully understand the past. It's about Native Americans... but also about being human. That's it's strong point -- it manages to humanize both the Native American characters as well as people in general all in the same stroke. This film will take on historical importance, for it goes a longer way than any previous film in fostering understanding and acceptance of First Nation people.

Besides the compelling story, this film offers you some marvelously "quirky" performances, unlike what Hollywood customarily dishes out. Thomas and Victor just become more and more endearing as the film progresses, awkward mannerisms and all. I've discussed this film with some First Nation people who absolutely love it, and they tell me that I simply MUST read Alexie's books. Good advice!


Very humorous, enthralling video.   February 24, 2001
E. Jones (Chicago, IL United States)
12 out of 12 found this review helpful

"It's a good day to be indigenous" - from that line, I was hooked. I had to watch this film for my American Ethnic Lit course. Throughout the course, we are trying to answer the question "What does it mean to be _____". Smoke Signals is significant because, with a Native American director, cast, screenwriter, it does an authentic job of dispelling conventional perceptions about Native Americans (VICTOR: You have to look like you just finished killing a buffalo. THOMAS: But our tribe were fishermen.) Not having read the book this film was based on, I can't say anything about how well it adapts. Apparently, the plot draws on several of the short stories in The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. From a literary perspective, I found the repeated motifs of fire, disappearing and invisibility, magic, and basketball very fascinating (particularly when Arnold and Victor Joseph played basketball against the Jesuits). This film is full of pleasant surprises that will make you laugh out loud, but it is very tender as well. I highly recommend it.


Movie - 5 Stars - DVD - 3 and a half stars   May 22, 2002
Jason N. Mical (Bellevue, WA, USA)
12 out of 13 found this review helpful

Ah yes, it's a great day to be indigenous. Chris Eyre's Sundance busting, feature-film debut is the first film written, produced, and shot entirely by Native Americans, and also shares the distinction of being Native American (or Indian, as he prefers to be called) writer Sherman Alexie's first big-screen conversion of his brilliant prose. The second, Alexie-directed "The Business of Fancydancing," is currently playing the festival circuit, but "Smoke Signals" remains more of a family-oriented, character-driven film and one that will become both a cult and film-school classic.

The movie follows two young men, Victor and Thomas, as they set off on a road trip to pick up Victor's father's things. Victor's father was an abusive drunk, and left when Victor was young. Victor grew up to be a bit of an egotistical, surly brat (although not nearly as much as he was in the books), and only takes the nerdy, storytelling Thomas with him because otherwise could not afford the trip. Along the way, the two discover a little about themselves as Indians, and their place in American society as well as in their own families. Not exactly an action movie, but the brilliant acting, great scriptwriting (you just KNOW that most of this came from Alexie's real-life experiences) and simple heart of the film carry it through some potentially dull and cliche moments.

Miramax's DVD presentation simply doesn't do the film justice. There's a crisp, but fairly un-dynamic Dolby Digital 5.1 track, but the film is presented in letterboxed widescreen instead of anamorphic. The print is clean and clear, but it's gonna look crummy on high-end home theaters no matter how you shake it. There are no extras to speak of, either, which is a shame since of all the movies released with boatloads of extra features (Rush Hour 2, for example), a film like this, of interest to people and filmmakers alike, NEEDS those sorts of features.

I first saw this movie in Tulsa with an Indian friend from high school. We had the theatre to ourselves, and laughed and cried throughout. Smoke Signals is worth checking out, and if you enjoy it, use it as a gateway to educate yourself about Indians and Indian literature. This DVD, while minimal, looks to be the best version we're going to see for quite a while (Miramax hasn't even gotten around to re-releasing Pulp Fiction yet, or Swingers, let alone Smoke Signals). It's priced nice, too. If you have doubts, rent it, but do yourself a favor and see it one way or another.

Grades:
Movie: A-
DVD: C