Comparisons to Looney Toons? There was nothing comical about any of this... And never once did I feel like the director was using tricks. It's so sad that we are so inundated and saturated with so much irony and self-involvement that people can't enjoy a masterpiece, no matter how painful that masterpiece is to watch. People want to feel smart, and they hate it when a movie comes along and almost makes them feel... Anything other than smug.