Thursday, March 27, 2008

That lovin' feelin'

I really get a kick out of going into a 60-40 movie, one of those you figure will be either slightly better or slightly worse than mediocre, and coming away with an unexpectedly positive experience. I had that happen with 21 tonight. I see that the early reviews are mixed, but I think those reviews fail to see the hip, escapist edge of the movie. It's a fantasy, and critics are using the false ruler of realism to browbeat it.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

"False ruler of realism to browbeat it" that's great, and perfectly captures a specific habit the critics have of missing a point. I was considering see 21 this weekend, so this is encouraging.

K. Bowen said...

Welcome, cuz.

I'm having a sort of crisis in regard to realism. It probably started when I really started watching a lot of screwball comedies in recent years. Can you imagine what people would say about "Bringing Up Baby" nowadays? It would be ripped to shreds. I mean, how many millionairesses date lowly, geeky professors? And who on earth owns a pet leopard?

I'm not sure that 21 is anything more than part of this potentially temporary rebellion. At the same time, I got into it and had a good time.