FILM REVIEW: Permanent Vacation (1980)

Part of the Jim Jarmusch 'All About the Masters' Series

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More often than not, debut films exist long-term strictly as curiosity pieces, specimens of the shoestring-budgeted, narratively choppy, maybe even embarrassing, but humble and sometimes charming beginnings of prominent filmmakers. I’m more than fully aware that there are plenty of notable examples of the opposite (Citizen Kane, anybody?), but I’ve found the former to be much more prevalent, whether it be Who’s That Knocking at My Door? (Scorsese) or Fear and Desire (Kubrick). Alas, the debut of indie superstar Jim Jarmusch is no exception with his 1980 debut Permanent Vacation.

I have a 600-1000 word limit to my reviews. Under usual circumstances, I like to keep my reviews closer to that 1000 word range, but writing about Permanent Vacation in that much depth is an act of borderline futility. Judging from the 2 stars indicated above, it’s no surprise that there’s nothing remarkably good to say about the film, but there’s nothing remarkably bad to say about it either.

Permanent Vacation follows Allie (Chris Parker), a young man with his girlfriend in a shabby New York flat. Without a father and mothered by a woman who spends her days in a mental institution, Allie wanders throughout New York (and life itself) in a state of drabness and inertia. On this particular day, he makes a point to visit his mother in the institution, but continues his aimlessness immediately afterward, in search of some sort of motion in his stillness…and there’s not much else to it than that.

Granted, this is a Jim Jarmusch film, so this kind of minimalism is to be expected, but not much else is offered. Jarmusch is an exceptionally witty film writer, but the writing in Permanent Vacation is probably Jarmusch at his most dull and unrealized. Conversations start, carry on very uninterestingly, go nowhere, and just, kind of, end. Characters don’t exactly compliment the script either, but luckily there are no insufferably pretentious or obnoxious characters present either, so dealing with the characters at least wasn’t the chore it potentially could have been.

That said, if there’s one glaring criticism I have of Permanent Vacation, it is the lead performance from Parker. This kid has absolutely no charisma whatsoever and cannot carry the coolness a Jarmusch film critically requires, and to make it even worse, he’s trying so, so hard to be cool, from the way he puts on his jacket and the way he stands to his very voice. Hanging out with Parker for an hour and 15 minutes was borderline unbearable, but luckily as non-striking as he is, he’s not unlikeable either.

On a side note, that reminds me: the movie isn’t even 80 minutes long, so even on a time standpoint, it’s not the chore it could have been.

Moving on, though; is there anything legitimately noteworthy in Permanent Vacation? Somewhat surprisingly, yes. Jarmusch captures New York in an almost war-torn state, which is most glaring when Allie comes across a traumatized Vietnam War veteran. It’s a unique look with a lot of potential, but like with everything else in the movie, nothing ever comes into full fruition. If there is one fully noteworthy moment present, it is an early scene where Allie dances in his apartment while his girlfriend stares longingly out the window, as if his life-deprived subconscious has manifested physically.

As much as Permanent Vacation most definitely sounds like a Jarmusch film, finding many of his signatures and tropes was really difficult here, but they are present, most notably in the final scene; Allie is getting on a boat, where he crosses paths with a similarly aged Frenchman who is just getting off the boat. These two characters have never met before and are from completely different walks of life, but there’s an unspoken bond and mutuality between these two characters. Classic Jarmusch.

Overall, Permanent Vacation doesn’t show much of Jarmusch’s potential, and is a portrait of a filmmaker with ways to go. If it were 1980, I would probably be ripping this film apart for its dullness and banality, but it’s 2019, and I know the mastery that Jarmusch is capable of, so it’s much easier to let bias take over and forgive this film for its countless shortcomings. Besides, it would only take one more film before Jarmusch showed the world the kind of greatness he’s really capable of.