DVD Reviews
DVD Review: Delirious
By June L.
May 14, 2008, 15:33 GMT

An odd, murky and quirky tale concerning the underbelly of media, the paparazzi, Delirious is part comedy and part cautionary fable. Vile language seems to be the order of the day, and may lose viewers early on, but it is apparently just another way that this film portrays the reality of this different and unknown world.

Les (Steve Buscemi) is a photographer who dreams of high end deals, but it stuck with the B-level (or possibly lower) paparazzi, seeking that perfect finance boosting photograph.  Into his life comes Toby, (Michael Pitt) a would-be actor, who has some interest in the media of Les’s world. 

As Toby is homeless and apparently directionless, Les hires him to do things so he won’t starve in the streets.  Toby becomes what would have been called a “dog’s body” in Shakespearean times, fetching, cleaning, doing any chore that Les throws him, in return for a place to stay.  As they move through the paparazzi world, Les teaches Toby about the game that they are all desperately playing. 

A chance encounter with a pop star Kha’rma  (Alison Lohman) moves Toby to the front of the pack, and surprisingly out from behind the cameras.  Les is jealous and angry at the loss of his apprentice, and can see no other course of action but to devise a plan for revenge.

Delirious is presented on single disc widescreen format with a running time of 107 minutes.  Special features included are a “Stalking Delirious” Featurette where director and actors encounter actual paparazzi and discuss the realities of the film in both character portrayal and locations.  A director’s commentary is also included and the music video of Khar’ma’s hit “Shove It,” as well as a theatrical trailer. 

This film has been described as “fiercely funny” (Peter Travers of Rolling Stone) and Roger Ebert gave it three and ½ stars.  There is quite a bit of dark and sometimes rough humor, and some very good lines delivered amidst the ever-present f* word. 

If you are offended by such, this is not the movie for you.  The acting is very good, totally believable in terms of characters especially Les and his group of paparazzi friends.  Toby is a wandering innocent, and Alison Lohan’s “Khar-ma” is a hilarious composite of those all too well known celebrity faces. 

Somehow the whole production has a medieval morality play feel to it, good versus evil, hope and inspiration above depression and despair, as the characters tend to embody these qualities.  I agree with Mr. Ebert.

Delirious is now available at Amazon. It is available for pre-order at AmazonUK for an August 11th release. Visit the DVD database for more information.