It has been going on for years. My younger son has been trying to get me to watch a Coen brothers film – all the way through. First, I tried with The Big Lebowski and gave up after half an hour because of the swearing. I swear myself. I have no objection to swearing in moderation. But it seemed as though every other word in The Big L was a curse. I tried The Hudsucker Proxy and gave up because it was weird and I felt alienated from the characters and the setting. I tried another one I have forgotten the name of - The man who wasn’t there? – and gave up on that. It was cold and weird. A few years later I tried The Big L again and got to an hour into the film. Yes, it was funny, but oh, the swearing.
Last night I managed to watch Burn After Reading all the way through. Yay! I did it! It was funny. The dialogue, characterisation and acting were great. Overall feelings about the film the morning after? I like a better ratio of sympathetic characters to unsympathetic ones in my fiction. I like people. I think that most people are likeable. I want my fiction to reflect that. Also, I had to cover my eyes so I didn’t see the two gory scenes. I knew they were coming because I was warned by my son sitting next to me.
Will I watch another Coen brothers film? Maybe – yes – if my son (who knows my taste) recommends one, and as long as he is sitting next to me telling me when to hide my eyes. I am lily livered. I would never watch a film that was rated higher than a 15. Yes, I’m a baby - So bite me, blondie!
(I love that expression – Phoebe used it once in a Friends episode, and I made a mental note. I bring it out just occasionally.)
Oh, I hated this film, thought it was the worst Coen I'd seen, couldn't care less about the characters who were all really odd (not in a good way!) The only thing I liked was that Frances McDormand is fabulous.
ReplyDeleteI liked Hudsucker Proxy and The Man Who Wasn't There and thought Intolerable Cruelty was all right, but I'm too squeamish for Fargo or Blood Simple. O Brother Where Art Thou?, though, I LOVED.
Woild I choose to watch a film again? - if I really liked it, the answer is yes. I would not choose to watch Burn After Reading again. The thing is, Diane, that I felt pleased I made it all the way through this one, when my son likes the Coen Brothers so much and he is always wanting to share them with me.
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