So I went to see it after all - and I'm glad I did. Quite an original atmosphere, even if the akwardness factor is occasionally streched a notch too far. Penn is good, though his character alone isn't necessarily such as standout. Rather it's the large amount of interesting characters, nice camerawork, tons of great music, and some downright brilliant sequences, that make it such a pleasing ride. Could use a bit of trimming at 2 hours, but it's not a major problem.