My new segment

Now that the Bachelorette has crescendoed, I’ve decided to begin a new segment - which I will almost certainly grow bored of and abandon.  But for the time being, I’m calling it… The Bachelor.  Just kidding, 

I’m calling it. Overrated / Underrated.  So I will start my new segment with comparative films, but may try to incorporate other aspects of life where I feel that I am smarter than the masses.

Overrated: Forest Gump
This movie was ridiculous.  It was like watching a three hour music video of Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire”.  This movie was successful for the same reason we enjoy reading those ‘Children of the 80’s’ emails that circulate from time-to-time.  “Oh yeah, I did watch Hanna Barbara cartoons every Saturday, oh yeah, I did collect Garbage Pail Kids trading cards…”  This movie milked Baby Boomers for two generations of nostalgia under the guise of perseverance, which no one dared question because the vessel was a high-functioning retard.  Unlike “Slumdog Millionaire” which used happenstance to make a near perfect film; the events in Forest Gump were contrived and unbelievable.  Let’s break it down:  He was smart enough to join the military (at least an IQ of 76, though the doctor in the beginning estimates his IQ at 75), he’s smart enough to take care of his fortune and captain a shrimp boat, but he’s not intelligent enough to know which direction to run on a football field?  Is this not offensive?  I never saw “Air Bud 2: Golden Receiver”, but I gather the dog knew which way to run with the ball.  And how in the hell was he 30% faster than any other player on a National Championship football team?  Because he liked to run – really?

 

 

 

Underrated: When Harry Met Sally
Another film of happenstance which covers several decades, but this one was not forced or contrived.  The actors were incredibly likeable, and the writing was excellent.  The story was funny, charming, and romantic with a big touch of realness.  A chic flick – not really.  The underlying theme was “men and women can not be friends” (just friends), and the movie does its best to support that claim throughout.