Hollywood Baby
I have a bone to pick with Hollywood. Or maybe with Disney. Either way, there is a bone to be picked.
Last night my roommate and I went to see Million Dollar Baby. It sucked. Not because it was a bad film. Quite the contraty in fact. It was a very good film, but it still sucked because it was depressing and didn't have a happy ending.
Movies are an escape from reality. They are supposed to provide some kind of refuge from the harshness of the real world. If I wanted to watch something realistic and depressing, I would stay home, save my money, and watch the news. I expect the news to be gloomy and ominous. But that is not what I expect, or want, from a movie.
I blame Hollywood and Disney for this. Since I was old enough to sit down and focus my attention on something for more than 2 minutes, I was plied with "happily ever after" movies. No matter what sadness befell the main characters, I was always guaranteed a happy ending where everything magically worked out. Sure Bambi's mother dies, but in the end he falls in love and is happy. Cinderella was miserable, but she overcame the odds and married the prince. Snow White? Same thing. Poisoned no less, but still living happily ever after. You name it, it ends well.
I have been brainwashed to expect this from movies. If I don't get it, I am left staring in disbelief at the credits like a stunned mullet. Surely this can't be the ENDING???! This isn't how it's supposed to end!!! I'm missing something, right??? Then the lights come on, snap me out of my trance, and I am forced to accept the harsh reality of "unhappily ever after."
This is the feeling I had last night in the theatre. I notice that it has been happening more often lately. Either I am going to the wrong movies, or stereotypical movies are becoming a thing of the glorious past. I don't know. What I do know is that I have a growing list of cinematic sadness: Million Dollar Baby, Open Water (WHY I expected that to turn out well is beyond me!), Ladder 49, and The Perfect Storm, just to name a few.
Maybe I am just being a typical "American" here, but is it too much to ask for a little fluff now and again?
Last night my roommate and I went to see Million Dollar Baby. It sucked. Not because it was a bad film. Quite the contraty in fact. It was a very good film, but it still sucked because it was depressing and didn't have a happy ending.
Movies are an escape from reality. They are supposed to provide some kind of refuge from the harshness of the real world. If I wanted to watch something realistic and depressing, I would stay home, save my money, and watch the news. I expect the news to be gloomy and ominous. But that is not what I expect, or want, from a movie.
I blame Hollywood and Disney for this. Since I was old enough to sit down and focus my attention on something for more than 2 minutes, I was plied with "happily ever after" movies. No matter what sadness befell the main characters, I was always guaranteed a happy ending where everything magically worked out. Sure Bambi's mother dies, but in the end he falls in love and is happy. Cinderella was miserable, but she overcame the odds and married the prince. Snow White? Same thing. Poisoned no less, but still living happily ever after. You name it, it ends well.
I have been brainwashed to expect this from movies. If I don't get it, I am left staring in disbelief at the credits like a stunned mullet. Surely this can't be the ENDING???! This isn't how it's supposed to end!!! I'm missing something, right??? Then the lights come on, snap me out of my trance, and I am forced to accept the harsh reality of "unhappily ever after."
This is the feeling I had last night in the theatre. I notice that it has been happening more often lately. Either I am going to the wrong movies, or stereotypical movies are becoming a thing of the glorious past. I don't know. What I do know is that I have a growing list of cinematic sadness: Million Dollar Baby, Open Water (WHY I expected that to turn out well is beyond me!), Ladder 49, and The Perfect Storm, just to name a few.
Maybe I am just being a typical "American" here, but is it too much to ask for a little fluff now and again?
posted by Going Somewhere @ 2:19 am
5 Comments:
At 3:13 am, June 06, 2005,
Going Somewhere said…
Yes I think they all were based on true events. Further proof that reality is depressing and does not make for good movies in my books. Maybe I should just stop seeing anything based on true events. Thanks for the happy ending tip!
At 7:21 am, June 06, 2005,
Anonymous said…
Ah yes, I blame my whole "Happliy Ever After" outlook on those movies. How come we don't see the "prince" and "princess" living "real life"? You know... cheating spouses, kids in trouble, broken hearts, grocery shopping, bug infestations.... the REAL stuff. That "Happily Ever After" crap hardly happens in real life. It's just a set-up for disappointment and heart-ache. Keep dreaming, kids... keep dreaming.........
At 3:59 pm, June 06, 2005,
Going Somewhere said…
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
At 3:56 pm, June 07, 2005,
Going Somewhere said…
Yes that sounds just right. Nice and light and fluffy! :)
At 11:18 pm, June 16, 2005,
Just Say No said…
Too much to expect? Yeah. There is something to be said about seeing something that is so bad and realizing that one's own problems are purely trivial. I suppose "sad" films are an articulation of this...
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