Comments on a couple films: 'Boss Of It All' & 'Guru'
Friday night, I went to see Danish film Boss Of It All, a hilarious romp that was, as icajoleu described, a bit like Denmark Does 'The Office.' Directed by noted film maker Lars von Trier, it follows out-of-work actor Kristoffer who is hired by Ravn to "act" as the "Boss of it All" for Ravn's company. Ravn confesses early in the film that he always felt too weak to actually be the boss (even though he owns the company) so for ten years he's pretended to be the boss's local liaison. However, when Kristoffer steps in to play the part of the Boss, hijinks ensue! It's hilarious in a wonderful, dry Northern European sort of way and I thought it was wonderfully funny! Not to mention that I never would have predicted the ending. The film also stars (as one of the employees) Iben Hjejle, who co-starred with John Cusack in High Fidelity. Peter Gantzler, who played Ravn (the boss who was pretending NOT to be the boss), was very good, but really it was Jens Albinus as Kristoffer, who masqueraded as the Boss of it All, that stole the show.
Saturday, I saw Bollywood film Guru, which left me with mixed feelings. The music was wonderful, and I always enjoy what I call the music video portions of these films - and I loved the romance. Abishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai were lovely together! However I thought the film fell down in the second half.
The film covers the life of Gurukant Desai who transforms himself from a village boy who did poorly in school into a huge Indian corporate magnate. The first half of the film is terrific as it shows his rise from humble beginnings, and his burgeoning romance with the woman he married for her dowry.
Guru is extremely charismatic, and I can entirely see why he is so beloved, but he's also filled with hubris, and once the film reveals that he's heavily involved in all sorts of corruption, I quickly lost sympathy for him (although I trembled for the fate of his wife and children should he be brought down). The second half of the film fast-forwards through time and we see Guru become even more powerful while he is pursued relentlessly by the press for his myriad instances of corruption (bribing government officials, tax evasion, etc.). I was very disappointed when at the end Guru faces serious corruption allegations and he gets off with a slap on the wrist, and he's depicted as a national hero.
Even still, I wasn't sorry that I saw the film - particularly as it generated an interesting conversation with my friends afterward.
Saturday, I saw Bollywood film Guru, which left me with mixed feelings. The music was wonderful, and I always enjoy what I call the music video portions of these films - and I loved the romance. Abishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai were lovely together! However I thought the film fell down in the second half.
The film covers the life of Gurukant Desai who transforms himself from a village boy who did poorly in school into a huge Indian corporate magnate. The first half of the film is terrific as it shows his rise from humble beginnings, and his burgeoning romance with the woman he married for her dowry.
Guru is extremely charismatic, and I can entirely see why he is so beloved, but he's also filled with hubris, and once the film reveals that he's heavily involved in all sorts of corruption, I quickly lost sympathy for him (although I trembled for the fate of his wife and children should he be brought down). The second half of the film fast-forwards through time and we see Guru become even more powerful while he is pursued relentlessly by the press for his myriad instances of corruption (bribing government officials, tax evasion, etc.). I was very disappointed when at the end Guru faces serious corruption allegations and he gets off with a slap on the wrist, and he's depicted as a national hero.
Even still, I wasn't sorry that I saw the film - particularly as it generated an interesting conversation with my friends afterward.