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Post by Sunnyhorse on Aug 21, 2011 13:54:38 GMT -4
I don't see a link to Leonard Pitts' column on the film anywhere in the thread, so I'm throwing it out there for discussion. ETA: OT, but why did y'all hate Jumping the Broom? I was looking forward to Netflixing it, thinking it would be something along the lines of The Best Man, which I really liked (other than the oddly unsatisfying ending). (Yeah, I love a wedding-themed film starring gorgeous people -- don't judge!)
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fictionista
Lady in Waiting
Happy Birthday, Mr. Smithers...
Posts: 200
Sept 19, 2005 12:38:04 GMT -4
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Post by fictionista on Aug 21, 2011 14:15:24 GMT -4
De-lurking to say I really liked Jumping the Broom and so did my mom and sisters (we all saw it together). It was along the lines of The Best Man (although not plotted as well).
If you're looking for entertainment and pretty people, definitely check it out.
On topic...I have no desire to see The Help.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Oct 5, 2024 12:26:46 GMT -4
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Post by Deleted on Aug 21, 2011 14:33:16 GMT -4
Perhaps this should go into the Unpopular Movie Opinion thread, but Jumping the Broom was rather personal for me due to the subject matter surrounding Martha's Vineyard. Plus, I found the story line a bit sophomoric. They had a good idea--urban vs. upper class--but it fell into bad sitcom/soap opera tripe. That's the beauty of movies; everyone has their own opinion regarding them, including the subject of this thread.
Despite its flaws, The Best Man was the better film by a country mile.
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jynni
Sloane Ranger
Play?
Posts: 2,313
Mar 21, 2005 11:05:04 GMT -4
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Post by jynni on Aug 21, 2011 14:36:31 GMT -4
Saw it yesterday and enjoyed it. It's not as deep as the book, which is usually par for the course with a movie but it follows it pretty closely.
And I'd hardly call it lighthearted or anything like that. Sure it's not gritty like Precious but it's a far cry from a heartwarming romp. The friend I went to see it with said to me after that she didn't really care for it as it was too depressing and sad. That's not to say there aren't funny moments cause there are some great lines. The scene where Skeeter's mom is trying to find out if she's having "unnatural thoughts" was pretty funny.
The entire cast is excellent - not a weak link anywhere and I'd argue that the main character of the movie is Abileen. It's her narration telling the story and it opens and ends with her.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Oct 5, 2024 12:26:46 GMT -4
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Post by Deleted on Aug 21, 2011 15:52:41 GMT -4
Yes, it is a story about women but that doesn't mean that men can not be a part of the story particularly if it could show a more complete view of the lives of the black maids. Seriously. A few criticisms have mentioned the sexual harrassment that black maids were often subject to from the white men who employed them. But I guess that's just too much racism to handle?
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Oct 5, 2024 12:26:46 GMT -4
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Post by Deleted on Aug 21, 2011 17:04:57 GMT -4
The Help finishes at top of the box office.Well, I guess the controversy has only helped its success. I'm kind of wary that audiences seem to love it; it'd be interesting to see what audiences thought about Mississippi in the 60s and the lives of black maids after seeing it. I'm sure Viola Davis is a lock for a Best Actress nomination at the Oscars, though and maybe the 2nd black woman to win it.
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piscessiren
Landed Gentry
"Every joke is a tiny revolution" George Orwell
Posts: 849
Dec 10, 2005 13:25:57 GMT -4
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Post by piscessiren on Aug 21, 2011 23:11:29 GMT -4
Wow, #1 at the box office? And it's not in 3-D, no aliens, no vampires, no car chases, etc.?
I'm sure sales of the book have gone up again. The controversy must have added to the good box office. Hopefully some people will get interested in the history behind the fiction and strive to educate themselves.
The 60's were not like an episode of Mad Men or the upcoming series Pan Am or Playboy Club.
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Post by Mutagen on Aug 23, 2011 11:47:28 GMT -4
The Help "crushes" at the box office, beating out Fright Night, Conan the Barbarian, Spy Kids 4D and Rise of the Planet of the Apes. I'm not going to cheerlead this blindly because a) that's admittedly not the fiercest competition and b) I share some of the uneasiness about the "white narrator" device in The Help. Still, I think it's worth pointing out that this is an entirely female main cast doing solid blockbuster numbers against traditional "male" movies. I'm reminded of this article written two years ago: Yes, Hollywood, women go to the movies too. How many times is this going to happen? A woman-dominated film crushes the box office, and we hear a bunch of "But how can this BE??!?!" from industry watchers, as well as the tired old trope that women can't open movies. Again, I don't want to ignore the problematic aspects of The Help (or a lot of the other movies cited as "female" hits, for that matter), but it's at least one more example of why that particular piece of conventional wisdom needs to die.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Oct 5, 2024 12:26:46 GMT -4
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Post by Deleted on Aug 23, 2011 14:28:42 GMT -4
It does need to die. Especially since the "oh my God a woman's movie did well!" thing already happened this year. Bridesmaids anyone?
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Post by Shanmac on Aug 23, 2011 14:46:35 GMT -4
But OMG! Did you know women can be funny? Seriously, why didn't that bit of thinking die, oh, I don't know, when Lucille Ball got her own show? Um, topic? I got nothin.' Sorry. I'm still planning to see this. I'm hoping it's truer to the book than the trailer would have me believe.
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