CS Weekly Archive> DVD > 09/28/07

Mad Love

by jason davis

Screenplay by Tracy Letts

Based on his play

Tracy Letts' cinematic adaptation of his stage play, Bug plays on every conceivable definition of the title as it chronicles the mutually destructive relationship of abused wife Agnes White (Ashley Judd) and her paranoid new boyfriend, Peter Evans (Michael Shannon).  Two terribly damaged loners, the film's leads craft a co-dependent relationship wherein each character's paranoia's feed the other's to such an extent that they both perceive the bugs Peter believes infest their shared motel room.  Characters from outside Agnes and Peter's world provide a yardstick with which to measure the couple's increasing paranoia as they grow further and further removed from reality.  Though ambiguity was key to the stage performance—the audience couldn't see if Peter had a bug or not—the film removes this element of doubt and revels in the construction of a delusional world wherein the characters find a twisted sense of fellowship as they're devoured by their own fears. While director William Friedkin's commentary often resorts to plot synopsis, a few philosophical tidbits slip into the mix, and the on-camera interview with the filmmaker offers a wealth of insight into the changes to a director's relationship with the audience since The Exorcist debuted in 1973.

Bug
Lions Gate Home Entertainment
Rated R; 101 min.
$28.98

Buy it now

Jason Davis has been the DVD Manager for CS Weekly, a contributing editor for Creative Screenwriting Magazine, and has written for Cinescape.com, MSN.com, and created the TV series Studio 13, which ran on Lorne Michaels' Burly TV network. He lives in the small space left over by his ever-expanding library of books, movies, and music.

Bug courtesy Lions Gate Home Entertainment

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