Thursday, June 25, 2009
Unspeakable Thoughts
I finally saw Slumdog Millionaire and I must admit to thinking that it was possibly not the greatest movie ever made in the history of man. I understand that this makes me a terrible person and quite possibly racist (although for the record, I loved Bend it Like Beckham), but it is was it is. Maybe it's because I watched it in two installments instead of all the way through (and the DVD skipped a little bit during the second part). Maybe it's because I saw it on the small screen instead of the big one, although I usually prefer movies that way because I can turn on the subtitles and pee without missing anything. But I was not exactly blown away.
I mean, to begin with, I find it just a tad bit coincidental that all of the game show questions relate to formative moments in the main character's life presented in chronological order. It's like Kirstie Alley being on Family Feud and having the first survey be about Shelley Long and the second one about pie. And then the whole relationship between the game show guy and his lady friend is essentially just premised on the fact that they grew up together, which in my case would mean I'm "destined" to be with my redneck next door neighbor Tanya. Also there was never really any explanation of why the older brother was a dick, and then unreasonably protective, and then a dick again, and they unreasonably protective again. It's what I imagine working for Rosie O'Donnell must be like. And they made the game show host such a cartoonish villain I half expected him to twirl a fine handlebar moustache.
Okay, so now I feel bad. It wasn't at all a horrible movie. It was nicely shot, the acting wasn't bad, and lots of parts were plenty cute. It just made me cranky, that's all. And in that regard it is in excellent company, along with my mother and the cast of TV's Becker.
I finally saw Slumdog Millionaire and I must admit to thinking that it was possibly not the greatest movie ever made in the history of man. I understand that this makes me a terrible person and quite possibly racist (although for the record, I loved Bend it Like Beckham), but it is was it is. Maybe it's because I watched it in two installments instead of all the way through (and the DVD skipped a little bit during the second part). Maybe it's because I saw it on the small screen instead of the big one, although I usually prefer movies that way because I can turn on the subtitles and pee without missing anything. But I was not exactly blown away.
I mean, to begin with, I find it just a tad bit coincidental that all of the game show questions relate to formative moments in the main character's life presented in chronological order. It's like Kirstie Alley being on Family Feud and having the first survey be about Shelley Long and the second one about pie. And then the whole relationship between the game show guy and his lady friend is essentially just premised on the fact that they grew up together, which in my case would mean I'm "destined" to be with my redneck next door neighbor Tanya. Also there was never really any explanation of why the older brother was a dick, and then unreasonably protective, and then a dick again, and they unreasonably protective again. It's what I imagine working for Rosie O'Donnell must be like. And they made the game show host such a cartoonish villain I half expected him to twirl a fine handlebar moustache.
Okay, so now I feel bad. It wasn't at all a horrible movie. It was nicely shot, the acting wasn't bad, and lots of parts were plenty cute. It just made me cranky, that's all. And in that regard it is in excellent company, along with my mother and the cast of TV's Becker.
