OBSERVE AND REPORT is a disturbing, thought-provoking must-see... but not for everybody
Well now. I'd heard some people say that the new Seth Rogan film OBSERVE AND REPORT wasn't accurately marketed, but that's a massive understatement.
Good lord, that was an excellent but deeply unsettling movie.
It's not at all surprising that it's gotten such mixed reviews, but my favorite joyless bastard, Devin from CHUD.com gave it a rare 10 ( Read more... )
Good lord, that was an excellent but deeply unsettling movie.
It's not at all surprising that it's gotten such mixed reviews, but my favorite joyless bastard, Devin from CHUD.com gave it a rare 10 ( Read more... )
What I was responding to:
"But if you're that special kind of viewer, the kind who likes to be challenged, who likes to go places sane people avoid, who thinks transgression isn't just desirable but also kind of hilarious, Observe and Report might be your favorite movie of the year."
He sums up my thoughts pretty well...
The other thing I was responding to I quoted directly from you.
I'm not accusing you of saying anything you didn't say. I'm not even accusing you of trivializing rape (I fully admitted I was being too harsh there - my initial response was purely emotional). Perhaps of being insensitive, and of not really thinking through the implications of what you're saying. To imply that people who don't see redeeming features in a movie that plays rape for laughs (and you can say you didn't laugh, but that doesn't change the fact that countless others DID - the issue here isn't primarily YOUR reaction, but the film itself) are somehow lacking is kind of shitty.
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Well, that's ultimately what I'm also wondering too. How much does the movie ultimately trivialize or even glorify Ronnie's actions? Maybe other people aren't thinking about that, but I certainly am, and responses like this just make me want to dissect this film all the more. Because one way or another, for good or bad, this is a film that gets under one's skin. It's a very troubling film on a number of levels, but I don't know if that's a bad thing.
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What does it say that she's portrayed as a "drunk" but you're not encouraged to empathize with her or wonder what it is that motivates her excessive drinking? A woman who's obviously a mess is portrayed as little more than an easy lay, and her rape is largely dismissed.
Mostly what disturbs me is all the people hailing it as a hilarious masterpiece of comedy. Also, people calling the rape a "sex scene" and saying that it's "edgy" and other bullshit. And again, the implication that if you don't like it or want to see it it's because you just don't "get it", because there's something wrong or missing in your sense of humor, or worse, because you're a bull person who doesn't want to be "challenged" by movies and has no appreciation for the transgressive. I think it's reasonable to feel disturbed by the movie. I just don't see that reaction from most people, and THAT is incredibly fucking disturbing to me.
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But that depiction of Brandi also ties into what I mentioned earlier, the question of how much of it is from Ronnie's sick fascist POV: how much of it is his fantasy, and by extension, how much (if any) does the film itself endorse? And if it doesn't at all, what does it say about the audience members who think that it does? But yeah, I do worry about the messages the film sends to certain people.
I probably shouldn't have co-opted the whole "challenging" bit, or at least been more considerate and careful with it. I get carried away in my zeal to try and get even a handful of people interested in seeing it. Because I think it DOES deserve to be seen, and discussed for what it is, for good or ill.
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