Bliss Quest A disjointed series of episodes in which Mr Soderbergh displays his talents as a writer, director and actor. Yes, as an actor too! There are, of course, going to to be some who just won't get this the thrust of humor because, frankly, it's not for everyone. But, if you are among the lucky few, in-tune with what this master of cinematic entertainment is trying to convey, you will enjoy the experience immensely. Once again, thank you Mr Soderbergh for sharing this very humorous vision with the world!

gavin6942 Fletcher Munson, the lethargic employee of a pseudo-religious self help company, and his doppelganger, the friendly but dull dentist Dr. Jeffrey Korchek (both played by Steven Soderbergh).The film comparable in some ways to the earlier work of Richard Linklater (notably "Slacker"), mixed in with the visual sensibility of a Devo music video. I am not sure if this is experimental, or art house, or how you categorize something that has no real plot, and sometimes no real logic. There is a certain genius to it, though.I am not overly familiar with Soderbergh, probably having seen less than half of his feature films... but this one will definitely leave you with the impression that he is a genius, an eccentric and an artist. Whether or not this is true, I have no idea... but he wants us to think so.

mglasson Schizopolis is perhaps best summarized with the copy line - 'All attempts at synopses of this film have resulted in hospitalization.' It's no understatement - just about every convention and niche of film is broken in this flick, and those looking for an easy ride into movie-watching oblivion won't find it here. The film mainly revolves around ad exec Fletcher Munson (played to perfection by Soderbergh) who is unhappy in his work, marriage and life, in general. He frequently masturbates at his office job and is generally distracted by his active imagination. After a co-worker suddenly has a heart attack, Munson is stuck writing a speech for T. Azimuth Schwitters - an L. Ron Hubbard type guru who sells a brand of self-help called 'Eventualism.'One day, Munson spots his doppelganger and follows him to his home. Turns out this fella is a dentist, and, without any clear reason, he is suddenly transported into Dr. Jeffery Kortchack's body and assumes the dentist's life (which includes having an affair with his own wife from his existence as Fletcher Munson). Confused yet? Then there is also the story of Elmo, the exterminator who speaks in a language of random words (I.E., 'Jigsaw. Uh, fragment chief butter. King surgery mind??') and gets laid by all of his beautiful women clients. Language is altered and skewed throughout the film - one scene has the husband and wife exchanging analytically defined sentences ('Generic greeting!' 'Generic greeting returned!') And yes, it gets much stranger, but that is one of the many wonderful things this film has going for it - you will be completely uncertain as to what is next coming. I can do no justice trying to explain the plot; the above encapsulation is an infinitesimally small fraction of the entire story and all of its interwoven subplots, thereof.So, what the hell does it all mean? I can't say that I'm entirely sure, myself, but I always have one helluva good time riding through it. There are endless side-stories and (seemingly) left-over ideas conceived through a myriad of supremely clever and bizarre film devices. It's a jarring experience at first, but with repeated viewing, the unconnected pieces of information come together in a most surprising and rewarding fashion. To me, Schizopolis is the cinematic equivalent of a Rubic's cube - you may fumble with it for a long time, but when you finally get a side complete - Ahhh, the joy and relief of a job well done. Yet, there are five other sides that remain mixed.Soderbergh took several years to make this film completely outside of the Hollywood machine ('I was in danger of becoming a hack,' he said) So he mounted this indie-indie-independent labor of love in the vein of a guerrilla production - a project he was literally shooting in his own back yard and at the houses of friends and neighbors. Still, the film never feels like its cheating the audience because of its budget limitations. Whatever it is that he's trying to do within the film's cryptic scenes, he manages to pull off with the confidence that he knows what he's doing. Steven Soderbergh also plays the leading man - a choice more practical than really desired according to him, but his performance is amazingly funny (the scene where he's making faces at himself in the mirror is a keeper for all time). He also cast his recently separated wife (Betsy Brantley) as his wife in the film, echoing his own a personal dilemma.And though this film embraces obfuscation and absurdity, have I mentioned that it's ridiculously hilarious? This is a cross-brand of comedy that I have never-before-seen. It's kinda like the Marx Brothers directed by Richard Lester on acid. But all insipid cross-comparisons aside, I feel like there's little room for improvement in this grandiose experimental film. There may be some minor performance flaws or uneven pacing, but in a film that embraces lack of coherence, that's hardly stable grounds for critique. This film was readily dissed by critics (if an established director does something completely off the wall and confusing, it must be self-indulgent), and the 12 people that actually saw it, abhorred it (any film that has people walking out after 20 minutes must have something going for it). So do yourself (and Mr. Soderbergh) a favor and seek this one out. Accept the challenge that this film proposes and try putting this puzzle together. Not that there's any doubt about this now given his expansive oeuvre, but Steven Soderbergh is one of the leading revolutionaries working in cinema today.

satellite1980 The first time I saw this movie, I wasn't really sure what to think. It is very strange and bizarre and quirky. It's definitely not for everyone, but if you're a Steven Soderbergh fan, I would check it out. Don't let the hard to follow story deter you from finishing this crazy film. And if you rent it, watch it at least twice before returning it, because you will understand it much more the second time through. Schizopolis is full of schizophrenia, so that's what you should expect. I think it's good in it's own way... rather artsy, in a poignant and ambiguous way.