American Idiot, Sondheim on Sondheim, Promises, Promises Lack Luster
6 / 10
We never learn enough about this trio to care for them as individuals. And Green Day's songs, though sometimes effective in striking general attitudes, don't do much to make these guys seem contemporary quintessences, either. Only one song, the mournful 'When September Ends,' lingers in the mind. Mayer's design team blankets this thin slice of life in cascades of projections, always apt but predictable. His astute casting pays off: His three leads, who've all proven their skill in nonmusicals, give these straw figures solid presences. An elaborately choreographed flying effect, when Sands hallucinates in his hospital bed, ranks with the most inventive such stunts I've ever seen. I didn't come away cursing, or bored, or feeling that I'd wasted my time. But I also didn't feel satisfied. And I couldn't help savoring the irony of artists who critique the system by, literally, plugging into it. It's the influence of mass media, rock included, that keeps such non-hero types from becoming themselves. If only they'd joined a community theater group instead.
