Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse 5 is one of my favorite movies, and one of those rare movies that actually does a pretty decent job of doing justice to a great book. And considering what a big Vonnegut fan I am, and always have been - that's saying something. Let's face it - this is one really weird story, with time tripping travels, aliens, and life choices that happen the same way, like a an old vinyl album that keeps playing the great music you never grow tired of. I think I have seen this movie maybe 5 or 6 times, and you know what... i am really looking forward o watching it again.
Michael Sacks plays the lead character Billy Pilgrim, a guy who is as normal and non hollywood as it gets. He played a new more roles in movies, but for the most part, he will always be remembered as Billy Pilgrim, and he does an amazing job in the role. There are a few noteworthy actors including Holly Near who plays Barbara Pilgrim and Valerie Perrine as Montana Wildhack, but for the most part - there are no great stars in this movie, which actually makes it better because you are not distracted by their star quality. These are just normal folks stuck in an extraordinary story. Being an old coot - I always have a laugh about Eugene Roche who plays Edgar Derby. You see, as a kid - Eugene Roche was a recurring character on a bunch of commercials, most memorable for me as the guy on the Ajax Cleanser commercials. So, in his case - I was a little distracted. ahaha.
But if you a fan of weird movies like me, in the same vein as The Big Lebowski, or Slingblade, or Best in Show - you will just love Slaughterhouse 5. The film is directed by George Roy Hill, and the Vonnegut novel was adapted into a screenplay by Stephen Geller. Enough of the blah, blah blah... go watch the movie.
