This movie is so…
Fascinating in how it is both good and not good?
WTF Bacon & Firth combo?
Disturbing to watch with one’s mother?
Yes, yes, yes.
My mom hadn’t seen this movie yet. It was still in plastic wrap. The “unrated theatrical cut” should have been a warning that maybe this wasn’t the best movie to watch with one’s mother, but the Colin Firth and Kevin Bacon pairing seemed like it would be just fiiiine for me and mom.
It was during some scenes of lots of naked white boobies and Kevin Bacon’s butt that I turned to my mom and said, “This is a really weird movie to watch with one’s mother.”
My mom was like, “I think you’re going to have to explain to me what’s happening” (not about the butt and boobies, but about the plot).
Even though this DID have closed-captioning that were giant block letters highlighted in yellow taking over the screen, it was hard to follow. “I’m not sure I know,” I said. Until I did and then I was like, “well, that’s pretty disappointing.”
Spoiler alert: The Butler did it.
More interesting than the plot was trying to figure out what was happening with Alison Lohman’s performance (who was by all critical assessment horribly miscast in this movie)
What was Atom Egoyan directing her to do? Not do? What was the direction like when she was doing that shot where Kevin Bacon’s hand is all over her boob and it's so BORING. (I mean I am glad it was boring because I was with my mom and all but still…)
Now, Colin Firth and Kevin Bacon… this was a bizarre pairing that I think COULD have worked but I can’t figure out why it really doesn’t. They were supposed to be like a Dean Martin/ Jerry Lewis pair, which they do in their own way quite well.
I love Kevin Bacon (who doesn’t) and yea, of course I love Colin Firth, but I really love how committed they both are to their performances, the light behind their eyes. I would love to watch their interactions on sets, how they navigated developing their characters– so I think this was probably a much more interesting movie if you could watch the dailies and know how those guys built their performances. I also found myself wondering about their feelings for each other as actors and what sparks there might be behind the scenes… Oh okay. No, I have figured out why it doesn’t work… because there’s not enough of them together, getting to really dig into each other.
My favorite scene in the movie is where Colin Firth is hopped up during a telethon doing a type of patter-rap and Kevin Bacon notices blood on his cheek and kisses him hard and full there. Why not more of that? Why no real intimacy anywhere? So much time was spent with lame narration and obtuse plot-lines that everything felt as hollow and vapid as Alison Lohman’s expressions.
But that being said, I am kind of still obsessed with the idea of a recut of this movie.
And whatever else it is, it is a lesson of the hard truth, no lies: Making Any Movie is Really Hard. Making a Great Movie— a miracle.
In conclusion:
Mom: “To tell you the truth, I was offended. I don’t like all that naked sex.”
Me: I like all that naked sex, I just wish it were Colin Firth and Kevin Bacon together. But then again, not while watching it with my mom.
BONUS MATERIAL:
Lots of interesting stuff here. Especially about “thrusting.” http://www.firth.com/truth.html
These B roll clips don’t reveal any answers to my questions. I guess I am looking for something that just isn’t there. Where The Truth Lies B-Roll (Colin Firth, Kevin Bacon)
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