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leynosHorribly bad film review alert. Mmmm... Cadbury's Mini Eggs... Are atheists allowed to eat Easter Eggs? A Jehovah's Witness I knew at school told me eggs have nothing to do with Easter, so I guess that means yes. Ahem.
The premise is a common one. A couple, for one reason or another, visits one of their parent's households. The other half doesn't fit in, the progeny is embarrassed, much hilarity ensues and they all make up in the end. Sort of. Occasionally, as in this case, the scenario is used to make a social statement; love across divides, that kind of thing. Here, the divide is north and south. American style. Madeline is an adopted citizen of Chicago, a limey diplomatic brat. George is also an adopted Chicagoer, hailing from North Carolina. It's his parents they are visiting.
The majority of the humour is that of contrast, occasionally delving into the absurdist. Much is made of a perceived lack of intelligence in George's family, a portrayal that unfairly paints southerners with the same single brush. They exist in a world of blue collar labour, whereas Madeline is an art dealer who seems to specialize in feeding a decedent a appetite for pseudo-intellectualism, and makes a pretty penny out of it. This juxtaposition alone seems designed to provoke controversy. It is the family that we are mainly encouraged to laugh at, but to someone on the other side of the divide, the newlywed couple would be seen as equally deserving of ridicule.
Most of my enjoyment from Junebug came not from the laughs, which I admit are frequent, yet delivered intelligently enough so as not to induce guilt, but from the keenly observed developing relationship between Madeline and her new in-laws. She is keen for them to like her, with good reason–they're family now, but at the same time her obvious revolt shows through in her interactions with Ashley, her new sister-in-law. Ashley is a little too keen for friendship to substitute for the lack of affection offered by her husband, George's brother. Madeline plays along, but the thin veneer slips at the worst possible moment, and at the best of times she displays something more akin to pity than kinship. By contrast, the duality of George's feelings for his family is much more honest.
George, being the prodigal son and having done his best to leave this existence behind begins the film with cool regard for the rest of his family, but ultimately shows us that he still holds genuine affection for them and his old way of life. Even given the implied past hostility between him and his brother who comes across as uncaring but whom we ultimately learn struggles with an inability to express emotion. Then there is the father, who may not be wise, but is gifted with enough common sense to know that his family is better without everyone hating each other.
The credible frankness with which all this is told makes the experience worthy in my opinion. The absurdity of the situation taken in isolation would be too much, but as a measured tool used to deliver the stories of these human and fallible characters it fits perfectly.
~
Feedback is welcome btw. Especially along the lines of, "Please stop crapflooding my friends page with your horribly bad film reviews." I have until August to get good at reviewing films, when I might actually have to do it for a web site. Cheers.
Junebug (2005)
The premise is a common one. A couple, for one reason or another, visits one of their parent's households. The other half doesn't fit in, the progeny is embarrassed, much hilarity ensues and they all make up in the end. Sort of. Occasionally, as in this case, the scenario is used to make a social statement; love across divides, that kind of thing. Here, the divide is north and south. American style. Madeline is an adopted citizen of Chicago, a limey diplomatic brat. George is also an adopted Chicagoer, hailing from North Carolina. It's his parents they are visiting.
The majority of the humour is that of contrast, occasionally delving into the absurdist. Much is made of a perceived lack of intelligence in George's family, a portrayal that unfairly paints southerners with the same single brush. They exist in a world of blue collar labour, whereas Madeline is an art dealer who seems to specialize in feeding a decedent a appetite for pseudo-intellectualism, and makes a pretty penny out of it. This juxtaposition alone seems designed to provoke controversy. It is the family that we are mainly encouraged to laugh at, but to someone on the other side of the divide, the newlywed couple would be seen as equally deserving of ridicule.
Most of my enjoyment from Junebug came not from the laughs, which I admit are frequent, yet delivered intelligently enough so as not to induce guilt, but from the keenly observed developing relationship between Madeline and her new in-laws. She is keen for them to like her, with good reason–they're family now, but at the same time her obvious revolt shows through in her interactions with Ashley, her new sister-in-law. Ashley is a little too keen for friendship to substitute for the lack of affection offered by her husband, George's brother. Madeline plays along, but the thin veneer slips at the worst possible moment, and at the best of times she displays something more akin to pity than kinship. By contrast, the duality of George's feelings for his family is much more honest.
George, being the prodigal son and having done his best to leave this existence behind begins the film with cool regard for the rest of his family, but ultimately shows us that he still holds genuine affection for them and his old way of life. Even given the implied past hostility between him and his brother who comes across as uncaring but whom we ultimately learn struggles with an inability to express emotion. Then there is the father, who may not be wise, but is gifted with enough common sense to know that his family is better without everyone hating each other.
The credible frankness with which all this is told makes the experience worthy in my opinion. The absurdity of the situation taken in isolation would be too much, but as a measured tool used to deliver the stories of these human and fallible characters it fits perfectly.
~
Feedback is welcome btw. Especially along the lines of, "Please stop crapflooding my friends page with your horribly bad film reviews." I have until August to get good at reviewing films, when I might actually have to do it for a web site. Cheers.
