Monday, September 15, 2008

Berta, George, Mom And That Damn Movie



Friday was the day. Unfortunately, because I had to work late, my mom had to wait 24 hours to see George Clooney's ass. We should have waited forever. I guess I should mention that my mom sees all George Clooney films the day they open. She says it is her way of thanking him for making her life with my dad bearable. I choose to ignore what she means by that statement.

All week leading up to the film, people would ask what are you doing this weekend and I would say, "I'm taking my mom to see that new George Clooney, Brad Pitt film." They would invariably ask what it was called and for the life of me, all week I could not remember. I would say, "Read After Burning" or "Burning After Reading" or just tell them I couldn't remember and that it was the new Coen Brothers film.

For the record you should probably burn out your eyes before going to see the film. Or your ears. Actually your best bet is just to be deaf and blind and hope that your sight or hearing doesn't come back before the DVD comes out.

Oh, it all started out well enough. Mom and her flask and just humming that Facts Of Life song with a little grin on her face. Me? Straight to the bar. Surprisingly the Arclight bar was only half filled at 330 in the afternoon on a Saturday. Most people were having red wine, like they were kidding themselves it was the middle of the afternoon. I don't kid around, so just ordered whiskey and didn't give a crap. On the way into the film we saw Berta coming out. Sure, I know now her name is Conchata Ferrell, but you see the maid from Two And A Half Men, let me here you come out with her name. She looked miserable and depressed. Not a good sign. It was like she had wasted two hours of her life she would never get back. And this from a woman who works with Charlie Sheen.

Even in the middle of the afternoon, the place was almost full. Oh, sure everyone was excited when it began. Even some clapping. In fact, the previews were great. Milk and The Soloist look great. When the film started though, out of the first say 100 words of dialogue, the first 15 were f bombs. After about the 5th, it was old. The total for the film was somewhere in the 100 range. John Malkovich played the same damn character he always plays, just at a louder volume. Tilda Swinton was awful. She plays John's wife and is supposed to be having an affair with George Clooney. Well, there is no chemistry and her character actually seemed like she would never have sex, so I didn't understand it. George Clooney, was ok. Played a dumb ass, but he alternated between tough guy and moron, and it didn't work. Brad Pitt? He was funny as hell, BUT ONLY because it was Brad Pitt playing him and so you were laughing at that fact rather than the character. The character was stupid. Frances McDormand? Meh. She was ok. Probably the best of the bunch.

The only saving grace of the film were two bit parts that were in the film on two separate occasions. I told someone to rent the DVD, and then changed my mind and said, no because they would just turn it off. Unfortunately I couldn't get up and leave. The movies and George Clooney is like church to my mom. You don't get up until the end. But even mom, the woman who actually liked that Chuck Barris film he did, didn't like him in this. Plus there was no naked ass. Oh you should have seen mom squirming when George was taking a shower at one point, but no luck for her, and I'm sure none for dad that night.

Oh, I'm sure some of you saw it this weekend and will say, it was a combination of elements and there was weave or some kind of garbage like that. It sucked. Even the Coen Brothers are not perfect, and it sucked. All the clapping at the beginning of the film? Not so much at the end. None. Just some mumbling about what the hell they just watched and a lot of confused faces.


18 comments:

  1. Well, I liked it. Brad Pitt was adorably hilarious as a dumb jock. Where he channeled that character from is unknown, but it was PERFECT. Frances McDormand....all I could think was she looked EXACTLY like Jonnny Depp as WILLY WONKA, except blonde. It was surreal. I seriously think this is what Johnny was thinking when he came up with that look. HATED Malcovich, a total tool. Clooney didn't do much for me either. Yet, I liked the movie. My sister thought it was strange, but she was laughing.

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  2. Hmm, I'm going to see this tonight.

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  3. I quite liked it! It was patently obvious from the 2nd scene when Malkovich comes home from work - Tilda's character wasn't in it for the sex, she was in it because she could control the bumbling Clooney character much more than she could control her husband. I mean, seriously, I'm pretty dumb on subtleties and ulterior movtives, and I could tell that!

    Enty, I'm really surprised you looked at it on such a superficially level.

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  4. roger ebert liked it and he hates everything. i'll take his word for it, he's not trying to be amusing.

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  5. kristen, i'm even dumber. i'm taking notes from your post...lol.

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  6. Har Molly! Maybe my advantage is being a DC area resident for 18 years now. Everyone here is fucking everyone else (as evidenced by the frequent political sex scandals), yet no one is actually interested in sex. Sex among the types of people represented by the characters in the movie is about power, not lust.

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  7. This will give you a good idea about DC types: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1254287/posts

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  8. wow, thanks kristen! what an exciting place to live, you probably always have somebody to talk about. maybe you should send us a couple of blind items of people we'd recognize. that would be fun!

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  9. Is it possible Brad Pitt was playing himself?

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  10. Anonymous1:52 PM

    Ent's being a little harsh. Brad Pitt IS the best part of the movie, but it's mediocre and mildly entertaining otherwise. It's very broad humor, as evidenced by all of Clooney's eye popping (seriously, I swear I could see all the way around his eye). Not my cup of tea, but worth the $5.50 I spent on it (yay student prices!)

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  11. Anonymous2:18 PM

    I just have no interest in this movie whatsoever. Mostly because I detest hype and it turns me off from just about everything that has any. I'm not impressed or interested in Brad Pitt as a dumbass. I've already seen True Romance, thanks. Its just not as impressive or enchanting to me as it is to other people, and it seems like a lot of the movie rides on that character. Just not interested!

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  12. I give it a "meh", but must admit Brad Pitt and the CIA guys were pretty entertaining.

    But it certainly is no Fargo or O Brother Where Art Thou...

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  13. Haven't even read the post yet, but Georgie Boy looks like crap here.
    I'll bet he's not even all that hot up close and personal. Just MO.

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  14. Well I enjoyed it.. haha

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  15. lol Ent, I'd call her Berta as well - love that character & show - even Charlie (who to me is playing himself).

    I may have to break my ban of all things Brangelina and see Braddie act as I believe he is. Hmmmm.

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  16. "And this from a woman who works with Charlie Sheen."

    Bwahahahaha!!!!

    I had heard this sucked, but I was hoping it wasn't true. Oh well, they can ride out a stinker after the brilliance of "No Country For Old Men."

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  17. Oh Brother Where Art Thou was the best "idiot" movie the Coens ever made. While I hate to say anything bad about my future husband (tell your mom THAT, Enty), I am going to see this for Pitt, not Clooney.

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