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.)
2 comments:
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.
I 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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