It's been close to a year since this movie came out in theaters and I managed to talk Jer out of renting it for almost that long. Yeah, from the very beginning, there was no doubt in my mind that this movie would trivialize race issues and automatically reinforce some BS notion that racism is just a small impediment that the right mixture of will, determination, and good ole white privilege in the form of benevolence will easily and totally eradicate. Right. If I wanted to watch a fairytale, I'd rent Lord of the Rings.Lo and behold, the film was just as ridiculous and insulting as I suspected it would be. I thought long and hard about posting my impressions of it, and eventually just decided that I'm not terribly interested in turning my blog into a socio-political commentary/diatribe.Then I happened onto Nine Deuce'spost on this very movie the other day, and I have to share it. She goes off in no uncertain terms about all the reasons why this movie is totally bogus, and throws in the added perspective of being a southerner and living around the very same culture this movie is based on. Be warned, no punches will be pulled and righteousness will flow. I highly recommend surfing over and checking it out. Then read the rest of her blog, Rage Against the Man-chine.If you don't have the time, just read a snippet below. It essentially encapsulates everything I hated about this ridiculous movie.
"Every interaction Aaron [Quinto Aaron, the star] and Bullock (or Aaron and anyone else, for that matter) have in the movie is characterized by Aaron’s wretched obsequiousness and the feeling that you’re being bludgeoned over the head with the message that you needn’t fear this black guy. It’s the least dignified role for a black actor since Cuba Gooding, Jr.’s portrayal of James Robert Kennedy in Radio (a movie Davetavius claims ought to have the subtitle “It’s OK to be black in the South as long as you’re retarded.”). The producers, writers, and director of this movie have managed to tell a story about class, race, and the failures of capitalism and “democratic” politics to ameliorate the conditions poor people of color have to deal with by any means other than sports while scrupulously avoiding analyzing any of those issues and while making it possible for the audience to walk out of the theater with their selfish, privileged, entitled worldviews intact, unscathed, and soundly reconfirmed."
Enjoy.
