'The Love Below' revisited

Every Valentine’s Day since I became mentally mature enough, I put the same album on rotation and spiral into a love stupor for weeks: The Love Below by Outkast. The brainchild of reclusive auteur Andre 3000, this album is timeless in its celebration of love of every kind. Many artists tend to focus on the romanticism or devastation of love, but Andre is one of the few that is able to capture the fun and foxiness without getting boxed-in creatively.

The opening arrangement grabs you with a sweeping orchestral piece reminiscent of classic Hollywood grandiose, but then bursts expectations with the ironic big band number “Love Hater.” Within two songs, he’s already conquered two idealist versions of love, the romantic and flirtatious. The album is full of left-field deviations that challenge a listener who simply expected a few pop hits they heard on the radio and some nasty bars from one of the greatest rappers of all-time. Not only does he give up rapping for the most part, he adopts the role of singer, composer, and guide on this journey into this new foray in his career.

It sent ripples through the rap community when Kanye West decided to do an entire album singing (on 2008’s 808’s and Heartbreak), but what was largely missed was that Andre 3000 did it better five years earlier. Even this year, Kendrick Lamar was lauded for his fusion of rap and jazz on the excellent To Pimp a Butterfly, solidifying his rap lineage to Andre Benjamin. The difference between those examples and The Love Below is that Andre completely immerses himself in this style. At no point during this album would you think, “This is the perfect example of an Outkast song” because even when Andre throws out a quick verse on songs like “Happy Valentine’s Day,” it’s a completely different rapper approaching the mic. Although the main complaint for this album is that he doesn’t rap enough, you accept him as a singer and performer because he puts everything on the line, his heart above all.

My first experience with The Love Below occurred after a months-long binge of the entire Outkast discography in college. During this time it became clear just how influential this group was based on the amount of recycled lines and borrowed beats. It really got to me once I reached the song “Pink & Blue,” which my freshmen mind immediately connected to a song by Kid Cudi that my friends and I used to bump in high school. I remember thinking how strange the original was for the first time as I had been used to the straightforward delivery from Cudi. I couldn’t quite grasp it and went back to listen to Cudi to cleanse my palate. But that song has never been the same the more I understood the concept of The Love Below. The weird vibes that I got were the whole point. This album is weird, but so is love. Andre correctly dubs himself the “modern day Cupid” and his only objective is to personify love in all its variations.

If anything, this album will give you a new appreciation for Andre 3000 as an artist. He conquers multiple genres and approaches love from every strange, intimate corner. The production infuses jazz, pop, rap, electronica, and the blues and utilizes orchestral arrangements before Kanye brought them to the mainstream. Although the album was honored at the Grammy’s along with its masterful hip-hop companion album Speakerboxxx, the value to the public appears to increasingly diminish to its two smash hits, “Hey Ya” and “Roses.” A revisit to The Love Below will prove it goes beyond that; it’s an all-encompassing testament to modern love and the incredible virtuosity of its creator. 

'Vacation' goes the distance but leaves the family behind

Vacation is one of those summer movies that just gets caught up in August fatigue. After a summer of explosions and high-octane spectacles, a movie about a family road trip gone awry fails to arouse the audiences sedated by the previous three months of mind-numbing action. Unfortunately, Vacation doesn’t have enough spark or wit to excuse another weekend at the movies. That being said, it is a serviceable reboot with a likable cast that hits a couple of bumps in the road while still delivering enough laughs and hijinks to fit with its predecessors. 

The Griswolds seem to have a good answer for to this ironic question. photo: Universal Pictures.

First of all, let’s lower the expectation meter and remember that the Vacation series has been glorified a little too strongly with age. Every film has its moments (except maybe Vegas…yeesh), but they are all based on a pretty simple concept of unfortunate, uncomfortable family bonding with lots of mishaps and detours along the way to challenge the dad-powered optimism/arrogance of Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase). The newest installment picks up with his son Rusty (Ed Helms), now a parent himself, who has failed to inspire any admiration or respect from his  family and decides to take a road trip to the mythic Walley World to solve all their issues.

Along the way they come across a range of unusual, mild-mannered Americans, making way for a host of cameos that pay off more than they disappoint. Chris Hemsworth makes quite a memorable impression on both the viewers and his underwear as the local celebrity weatherman Stone Crandall, who is married to Rusty's sister, played with expert comedic nuance by Leslie Mann. Charlie Day steals his scene as a canoeing instructor, but the whole situation exists as a result of a highly unlikely coincidence presented right before the family hits the water. The movie lives and dies by cameos, but the biggest nail in the coffin is Chevy Chase’s reprisal of the endearing Clark. He is given so little screen-time and no material to tackle. He hams it up with a clumsy guitar bit, but it feels forced like Chase knows the clock is ticking for his precious franchise. He wants one last laugh, but just like a trip to one's retired parents' house, it feels more like an obligation. 

What differs between the old movies and this revamped trope machine is the comedy within the core of the family. The Griswolds of old were an ordinary and loving family that were relatable to any person who had ever been on a family trip that didn't go smoothly. The family dynamic in this film has been so corrupted and overdriven with cynicism that it's hard to enjoy their back-and-forth. The bickering that should remind audiences of their years spent in the backseat with sibling often devolves to parental bullying and several attempts of fratricide. The youngest son Kevin, played by newcomer Steele Stebbins, is crass and vulgar but in a cartoonish way rather than one that plays on the competitiveness of two brothers. The filmmakers seem to bank a lot on this character and Stebbins delivers everything just fine, but not much of it ultimately lands. I mean who honestly thinks AIDS jokes can be funny? A family comedy, even one pushing the R-rating, needs a cast with some chemistry because after all, they’re supposed to be family.

Smile through the cringe-worthy pain Chevy, there's only ten minutes left. photo: Universal Pictures.

The movie doesn't get it all wrong as there were definitely some fun scenes between the siblings and each member gets their moment to shine, but none of the pure, organic comedy that comes from any typical family vacation is at play here. Everything is outlandish with the worst-case scenario going even a step further. It plays to shock rather than unite. The lesson to take from Vacation and reboots in general is that filmmakers need to remember what made audience’s love the source material. The Griswolds are an all-American family and their experience could have been yours. Unlike the old ones though, you don’t want to get stuck with this family.