What do you get when you mix controversial art-house movie director Harmony Korine, with young teen Disney stars like Selena Gomez and muddle them all up in celluloid form? Well, you get a more successful movie than you may imagine, actually. Spring Breakers has made a highly-anticipated showing at this year’s SXSW festival in Austin, Texas and although the movie is not without its faults, it has impressed many of the critics that made the trip to see it.

Entertainmentwise’s reviewer found themselves frustrated with the many anticlimactic moments, “the constant cutting between various different moments in the girls’ story makes the film feel more like an extended music video at times than a genuine narrative piece of cinema, meaning that scenes which should frighten or shock blur into the milleu of the movie.” They did, add however, that there is “a lot to like” about the movie. “Though Korine’s style can be difficult to get to grips with, and could alienate its young stars’ fanbase, at other times its spell-binding, funny and poetic.” That’s Korine in a nutshell though; the director is famed for splitting opinion; with films such as Gummo and Kids under his belt, he has offended as many as he has caused to fall in love with his movies. 

Selena Gomez
Selena Gomez is an unlikely hit Harmony Korine's Spring Breakers

Hollywood Life describe the movie as a “kaleidoscopic fever dream” and let potential viewers know that they can expect “Mounds of cocaine cover female torsos, boys in jockstraps stand over them wielding overflowing beer bongs, and James Franco hovers above it all as Alien, an unforgettable underworld entrepreneur who easily could have beamed down from another planet.” Just in case you hadn’t heeded Selena Gomez’ warning that this ain’t no Disney movie.