As I was watching the Colbert Report last night, the new 9/11 movie, WORLD TRADE CENTER, was advertised during a commercial break. As is typical for such spots, the studio acknowledges critics who praise the movie: "The best film of the summer," "A Masterpiece," blah, blah, blah. Even though I haven't seen the movie or heard too much about it, I began to wonder if less-than-positive reviews are possible. I mean, it is about 9/11. And even if the film is nothing more than a trite and mawkish story of American heroism, it's still about 9/11. Accordingly, will it receive anything but praise? Given the subject matter of the movie, it might prove too difficult for critics and moviegoers to berate the movie for fear of seeming unpatriotic or unsympathetic to the events of 9/11.
In a lot of ways, it might be similar to PASSION OF THE CHRIST. While I did not think it was a particularly good movie, nearly everyone I talked to loved it. (I don't recall how the critics weighed in.) I tend to believe, however, that most of these people were responding to subject matter over artistry. As good Christians, perhaps they *had* to be moved by the film, for to criticize the movie was to criticize their religion. Similarly, those who watch WORLD TRADE CENTER will most likely love it, for conservative rhetoric today will have them feeling un-American if they don't.
3 comments:
I've been wondering this myself. Is it possible to judge this film objectively? I can think of film adaptations of similarly harrowing events in American history which were viewed fairly harshly by critics (the recent version of "Pearl Harbor" comes to mind), but we have a fair amount of distance from that film. And if I remember correctly, that film came out before September 11th. I likely won't see the film (primarily because I don't think I could stand to see those events reenacted on film) so I won't be able to judge it. But it would be nice to know that reputable reviewers did review it fairly.
I have no intentions to see the film either. Your point on "distance" is very true. In fact, Mrs. Oxymoron and I were talking about this just the other day. She said that she won't see the film because Hollywood is profiting on the tragedy. I agreed with her, but noted that this is not the first time they've done so (e.g. Pearl Harbor, The sands of Iwo Jima, etc.). Also, films about harrowing and heroic events in American history are important to the shaping of our national identity. Accordingly, a film about 9/11 is necessary. But not right now. Too little time has passed. Anyone who would watch the movie has already been shaped by the events. And because our national identity is so strongly defined by 9/11 today, box-office dollars seem to be the only possible motive behind the making of this film. It's sad to me.
It wasn't even a year after 9/11 before they started minting collectors coins depicting the twin towers and the words "We Will Never Forget" emblazoned across the top of the coins; these coins are once again being pushed on spot television ads. As soon as one of the ads becomes available on You Tube Harrogate will post it here.
Harrogate doesn't remember know which company it is, but their primary marketing point is that the coins are minted from materials gleaned directly from "Ground Zero."
Like the movie to which you speak, Oxymoron, these coins, in Harrogate's opinion, do not in any way violate the spirit of this country that has always kneeled reverently before the altar of the almighty dollar. Disturbing? Yes. To a few people, anyway, people like those writing on this blog.
In the broader national consciousness, however, such exploitation is not worth nearly the indignation warranted by, say, the idea of two gay men kissing, or some disaffected citizen burning a flag in protest.
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