A movie in a movie in a movie, stories crossing here and there, different visual styles mixed and mismatched, sets that reek of reality and scenes that expose the movie making process…what is Soderbergh thinking? He’s thinking about making art, not just a film. This is one of those movies that grabs a hold of me from the beginning and doesn’t let go.

People in moments of crisis, moments of weakness, moments of vulnerability and trying to escape or at least understand what their lives are all about, Full Frontal has it all. The writing is superb. There is no scene that does not fit or take you out of this illusion of a world. The dialogue is often ultra realistic. By that I mean that people are interacting in a raw, emotional, nerves exposed kind of way that does not hint at being scripted, but can be a caricature of the way some of us would like to express ourselves sometimes.

A woman struggling with old scars of childhood and new scars of a marriage falling apart hits a breaking point. Lee is played with absolute perfection by Catherine Keener. A combination of hard core bitch and injured spirit could be a hard line to tread, but it all comes together beautifully as Keener seems to understand her character more than the writers actually did when they wrote her.

Other tour de force performances include David Hyde Pierce and Mary McCormack. Pierce is best known as Frasier Crane’s neurotic brother Niles from the long running television series, but he shatters any idea that he is not meant to be on the big screen.

McCormack is delicate with her character at times, holding her back in subtle but important ways. As the sister of the hard core bitch/injured spirit, Linda (McCormack’s character) has to be less intense to keep some balance. However, she is no less powerful in her performance. She is controlled and brings her character’s own emotional damage to the surface one hint at a time, but she is extremely intriguing, relaxed and comforting to watch vs. the constant tension of Keener’s character.

The look of the movie is……wait a minute, THE look of the movie? What am I saying? There is not just one look to this movie. Soderbergh enlists the help of so many kinds of imagery, styles, tools and tricks that it becomes part of the story itself. Mixing digital video and some old fashioned celluloid along with so many different filters, colors, shot and set designs, this is one visually stimulating flick. Some of the story is told directly through the type of film, or lack of film (digital video). There is a rhythm and flow to the look of the movie right along with the rhythm and flow of the stories it’s telling.

At times the term “mock documentary” comes to the fore front and you are watching what seems to be an amateur home video. At other times the film is slick and glossy, as any good Hollywood creep might say they should be. Along with the varied styles, you get the occasional tear in your fantasy trip to the movies when camera crews, equipment and sets are revealed.

A fantastic flip flop in the sometimes boring rollercoaster of Hollywood block busters, Full Frontal makes it onto my Top 100 favorite films of all time. Don’t worry, no one got knocked off, I haven’t even picked 100 to fill the list yet, but this one makes the grade!

One of Soderbergh’s comments in an interview gets to the point and explains a lot about why he feels free to use so many devices in his movies. He just says that he’s not sure why people say one style looks more realistic than another because it’s all fake.