Last night, as I sat in my bedroom here in my mother's house, I watched the movie I Love You, Man and was transported into the characters' world. For those of you who haven't seen it, no, it is not a fantasy, but it may as well be to me.
It's funny, and the characters are intelligent and at least somewhat three-dimensional. It entertained me for an hour or two and took me away from what's going on around me. I was no longer regretting Saturday's hangover or thinking about Monday's homework, but about these characters and whether or not Paul Rudd's character would ever become a man.
I watched the actors drive their brand-new cars and argue in designer kitchens and go to their high-powered-LA real estate jobs.
Of course, I envied them. It's brilliant and wonderful that these sort of comedic films never detail how the characters came into the money and lifestyles that they have. You don't have to know that the person behind the windshield of that Jaguar is still paying off their student loans every month, just like you don't have to know what minimum wage was when they started their job at Subway to appreciate the punchline or the simple silliness that makes you laugh.
Wouldn't it be lovely to be one of those characters? To be born in the mind of a screenwriter and be portrayed by a beautiful actor? To live in the bubble of Hollywood that doesn't understand the concept of a recession just like it doesn't understand what a temperature below 50 degrees is?
Oh wait, that California doesn't exist. Real Californians can't afford their mortgages, just like the rest of us, and in this time of struggle and belt-tightening, they have Mr. Universe himself to turn to.
I guess I really am o.k. to sit in my warm bedroom in Pennsylvania, work on the blanket I am knitting for my boyfriend and escape for a while.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I guess it's better for the entertainment industry to present people that have no real fear of losing money in their movies. It's probably part of the whole escape from reality thing they live off of.
ReplyDeleteThere was a joke last night on Colbert. California's in such bad shape they tried to burn it down for the insurance money. But seriously, I'm with you. I always have the same thoughts when I see movies and TV shows set in New York. Where do these people get these apartments? So much space! And why do they have all this time to sit around whining all day? It's the working-class Pittsburgher in me. I like things with a little side of reality.
ReplyDeleteSlap da bass man. Best part of the movie.
ReplyDeleteThe enteraimnent industry always does better in times of economic decline. It could be because people try to use it to take their minds far away from reality.
ReplyDelete