Friday, October 24, 2008
SCENIC TOUR
Today's NYTimes Best 1176 Film was
This is, of course, just a fugitive-buddy-road trip movie but with the difference that the fugitive buddies are women.
I didn't much like it the first time and really didn't like it this time.
I am not much interested in seeing people achieve transcendence through immoral or criminal means. I especially don't like it when I feel jerked around.
What I mean here is that we are not left very much room for judgement about it. The director paints us into a moral corner where the action of the two women almost seems pre-ordained.
Nuts. They could have just cried 'rape' and turned themselves in.
Geena Davis is pretty good and Susan Sarandon turns in her patented tough girl act.
The film grabs us by the lapels and dares us not to like it. The subtext is, again, that men are no damn good. Well, as I have said before, we know that. So?
There is only one socially redeeming figure in the movie and that is Harvey Keitel as the state trooper detective who loses control of the case.
Interesting in this film that Keitel doesn't go naked. Perhaps the first time I have seen him not do that.
Instead of Harv, we get Brad Pitt in his debut film. All naked and pretty and actually quite good as a bad, bad boy. The kind you still want to take home to mother.
He has some unforgettable scenes.
I like all the people but I quibble with the premise.
And the end is just trite with all the cop cars and such.
And I don't believe the dive into the Grand Canyon for one minute.
It is also too long. I skipped near the end. It was just getting too tired. Or I was getting too tired. Whatever.
A skipped part makes it a 1 out of Netflix5 folks. An immediate disqualification for Netflix glory. Too bad Brad. Your debut was in a stinker but you went on to make a lot of stinkers of your own. And a few good ones. Let me see. Which ones? Hmmmm.
Labels: best films
