tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7907752.post110573782338471900..comments2024-03-27T07:18:39.229-05:00Comments on In Medias Res: Some Respect for Spanglish, Please?Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7907752.post-1106001579849381162005-01-17T16:39:00.000-06:002005-01-17T16:39:00.000-06:00Russell,
You write, "it's not as though there's a...Russell,<br /><br />You write, "it's not as though there's a real or even accidental political parable to be discovered in this movie."<br /><br />You note that both Flor and Deborah are caricatures. True (though they're not the only ones in the film). But Flor is a positive caricature, while Deborah is an entirely negative one. And those caricatures extend outwards. Mexican culture, like Flor's character, is portrayed as genuine, humble, poetic, principled, and above all authentic. American culture, like Deborah, is crass, materialistic, selfish, brutal, and unrefined. All positive on one side, all negative on the other.<br /><br />Had the film been what you seem to think it was, I would agree that it could be well worth watching. But, to achieve that, you need parity. Either treat both sides sympathetically (so as to avoid setting up a strawman), or rip them both to shreds. Brooks doesn't do that. He has blind spots. He can see nothing positive in Deborah. He sees nothing negative in Flor. That's not careful observation. It's a trite, would-be critique of the American rich by reference to something not far off from a noble savage stereotype. Cheap, easy, superficial.<br /><br />Not a bad movie. But not a very good one, either. <br /><br />Scott <br /><br /><A></A><A></A>Posted by<A><B> </B></A>ScottAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com