With the last day of my HBO free trial, I made sure to get in the Elisabeth Moss starring, Her Smell. This movie stuck out to me last year but I never got the chance to watch it. Following the rock band, Something She, Her Smell follows lead singer, Becky Something, and her destructive life choices.
First things first, this movie was chaotic, but in a really great way. Split into five distinctive and very long scenes, we start off first watching Something She finish a gig, and then the antics that go on back stage afterwards. Becky is drunk and high, and has her own personal shaman carrying out rituals for her. “Dirtbag” Danny, Becky’s ex-husband shows up with her kid, but as the scene plays on it’s clear she’s not a mother at all. This section of the movie ends when Becky falls with her child in her arms and pukes all over the floor.
In the next scene, it’s a few months down the line and the girls have been aimlessly trying to record in the studio. It’s clear that Becky is leading the sessions but with no clear intentions. Their manager, Howard, needs them to leave so his up and coming act, Akergirls, can record. After some altercations, both Ali and Mari leave, but Becky stays and manipulates the session.
In the next scene, we see a crowded venue waiting to see Becky open up for the Akergirls. Ali has come back to support Becky along with Danny and her mother, but the crowd has been waiting for two hours and Becky is nowhere to be seen. When she finally shows up it’s with a camera crew in tow, but before she beefs it onstage, she verbally berates her mother and almost stabs Ali. This scene especially got to me because who in their right mind would wait two hours for a show to start?! And why would they wait that long for Becky to show up?! Incredible.
In the second to last scene, it has clearly been a few years, but we see a sober Becky at her house. When Danny shows up with her now seven year-old child, it’s clear that Becky is doing better but is still somewhat paranoid in ways. The two talk about all of the impending lawsuits against her before Danny reveals that Mari came with him. The two women reconcile and talk about music and catch up with their lives.
The final scene shows Something She back together nearly four years after last playing together, but they are all gathered to play a song for a showcase of all of Howard’s acts. They all seem in a really good place, but just before the show Becky displays some odd behavior that have everyone concerned. They find her ready to go onstage, and with the assistance of the Akergirls and another musical act, Zelda, Something She successfully play together. Immediately off stage, Becky’s daughter leaps into her arms as Howard asks if she’s got one more in her for the crowd, but she says she’s got nothing left.
This movie was sort of insane, while equally subdued. Elisabeth Moss did a fantastic job playing the lead as someone whose brain never stops firing, but who also is probably dealing with many mental illnesses. It’s interesting to see how many people love her and never truly give up on her. Despite all the messiness of tour life, it also just makes me think how cool it would be to be in a successful band. This is definitely worth a watch just to see all the nuances that go into the five distinct scenes.