Lukas Moodysson's Mammoth is an ambitious piece about interconnectivity that takes a bit too long to get going and perhaps bites off more thematically than it can chew, but it has too many intriguing ideas and spectacular performances to be dismissed. Taking place in Thailand, the Philippines, and New York, Mammoth is somewhat Babel-esque in the way it intertwines cultures and connectivity but it's a much more straightforward narrative and interesting commentary on the growing chasm between the classes and how trying to jump from one to another could lead to a pretty steep fall. The socio-political elements of Mammoth seem a bit underdeveloped at times and arguably naive but the characters are so well-defined and brought to life by great performers that Mammoth is worth a look.

Gael Garcia Bernal and Michelle Williams, two of my favorite actors of their generation, star as a married New York couple with one daughter named Jackie (Sophie Nyweide). They've done quite well for themselves. Leo is a computer games wizard who is about to sell his version of MySpace for millions of dollars. Ellen is an overworked surgeon who feels she is growing more distant from her own daughter as their beloved Filipino nanny (Marife Necesito) spends more time with her and actually appears to be her preferred guardian. Leo heads to Thailand with his business partner (writer/director/actor Tom McCarthy), but ends up with a lot of time on his hands when the negotiations stall. Not really being a vital ingredient to the boardroom, Leo takes off to a nearby island and decides to reinvent himself. He tells stories about being a firefighter instead of a businessman, rides an elephant, and makes at least one really bad decision with a strikingly beautiful local girl named Cookie (Run Srinikornichot).

One of the main ideas running through Mammoth is the care of children. Ellen and Leo's nanny has left her own sons in the Philippines to care for a stranger's daughter in New York. We watch with impending doom as her two young children wander their home country trying to make money so mommy won't have to work anymore. Sadly, this is easily the weakest section of the film, as tragedy feels inevitable or else the commentary on how wealthy people pay the poor to essentially leave their own children wouldn't resonate. The intended emotional impact of the Filipino third of the film feels manipulative.

Luckily, the action in New York and Thailand, strengthened by spectacular performances from Bernal and Williams, is strong enough to carry the film. Bernal completely sells a man unsure of his new lot in life. He's just an over-sized kid with a big heart and he'd rather sit in a bungalow on a beach than a fancy hotel. Williams and Necesito have a fantastic interplay in the New York scenes. All three of these central characters feel completely genuine. I just wish the children didn't feel so much like plot devices and were more completely developed.

Moodysson has made an ambitious film that would have been better if it didn't wear those ambitions on its sleeve quite so prominently. It runs longer than it needs to and the final act gets a bit too melodramatic. I loved the little things like the interplay between Bernal and Srinikornichot and Williams and Necesito, but the "big things" felt like a filmmaker who bit off more than he could, or needed to, chew. Mammoth falls a bit short of perfection, but the great performances, interesting themes, and stellar production value (Moodysson's use of music and the cinematography are top notch) make it worth a look.

Rating: THREE BONES

Reviewed by Brian Tallerico (MovieRetriever.com Film Critic)

Release Date: November 18th, 2009 on IFC In Theaters On Demand
Rating: R

Starring: Gael Garcia Bernal, Michelle Williams, Marife Necesito, Sophie Nyweide, Run Srinikornichot, and Tom McCarthy
Director: Lukas Moodysson
Writer: Lukas Moodysson