I just spent my cherished pre-Thanksgiving meal time seeing the very special “After School Special” Boy Erased. I’m sure it will win many awards, it was written and conceived to do so.
Big stars. We love big stars. This one has Russell Crowe and Nicole Kidman, but they don’t take the spotlight that is for the boy who got erased who is played by Lucas Hedges. He will get the best actor buzz, Crowe and Kidman can walk down the carpet for their supporting awards.
I don’t know maybe I’ve seen too many movies. Maybe I’m cynical. I don’t think so. I think I’m the opposite. I was optimistically thinking that this movie had something to say. Maybe in short glimpses it did. I honestly think that you can learn from a bad movie just as much as from a good one if you try to learn from it.
My family wanted me to see it. I said I was interested in the topic. Not one knew the title of the movie. That makes me fear for society.
It’s an inspirational story based on a true story. Well, if it happened it has to be more inspirational than fiction these days! It happened. The movies I was inspired by like Casablanca and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Not inspirational these days they never happened. I wish they had.
I’ve seen this movie at least 1,000 times. I prefer it as “Lost Angels” with Beastie Boy Adam Horivitz or Ad-Rock as he liked to be called. I like the Wiseguy episode that was the same thing. I like the 21 Jump Street episode where Johnny Depp played Hedges part, but wait those were fiction. Actually, the 21 Jump Street episode was a rip off of Bad Boys with Sean Penn. They did that all the time on that show. Johnny Depp even did an episode where they did Oliver Stone’s Salvador.
Did you like Footloose? I did. It was the same movie, but at least it was fun and there was some music, dancing, no suicides, and no forcible rapes. Where are Kevin Bacon’s awards for his Byrds “Turn, Turn, Turn,” speech and his revelatory “Let’s Dance!”?
They not only write these movies with computers these days. They get mad at you if you aren’t professional enough to have the software. Then someone like Quentin Tarantino comes around and blows the whole apple cart over and Hollywood sort of changes. They hire someone to write a Tarantino template to Final Draft just in case. This movie even has fun with that. The main character is a writer, but he writes in longhand first and he has a semi-reconciliation with his preacher father when the father says we are both writers and hands him a special religious pen.
That is what art is these days. 1’s and 0’s!
I watched three minutes and literally fell asleep. No lie. I was tired and irritated. I still am.
Then I annoyed my sister in law by telling her every single thing that would happen in the movie with precise detail. I said Nicole Kidman’s mother will save him. I said the movie will end with him driving off in a car about 90 minutes before it happened.
I actually didn’t know this was a big budget movie. I thought the father was someone doing a Russell Crowe impersonation (no lie). It was Russell Crowe! Whether he was good is up to you. I liked him much more in Gladiator when he spewed out “Are you not entertained?”
How did I know Nicole Kidman would save her son. Well, she’s Nicole Kidman and only in about 20 minutes of the movie. She has to be there to do that or else Nicole Kidman would not play her.
Why did I fall asleep? The place the boy or man is sent is a jail, a bad one. It took me 30 seconds to figure that out. This may happen in real life, but it bores me.
If you can’t discuss your therapy with anyone? If you can’t write in a journal? If you are not allowed to go to the bathroom by yourself, but must be watched by a creepy dude. I’m gonna guess that you are not a very good rehabilitation center. Is life really this stupid?
Hollywood characters have arcs. All of them do, I guess. Characters change or they do not. Nicole Kidman’s changes. Russell Crowes’ by definition can’t change and doesn’t. Hedges? Most people will think he changed. He doesn’t!
Short capsule review? The same as Bill Hicks’ summation of Basic Instinct: Piece of Crap
Gay conversion is bad. People committing suicide sucks. Rape is bad. Blind unquestioning faith in religious sects is dangerous. It’s OK for a man to marry another man. Writing is a noble profession.
No shit! Thanks. I can stop reading books now. What was the purpose of me seeing this I already knew all that?
If someone is that stupid they need to see this fine, but I could have proved it to them in 30 seconds and we could have watched Pump up the Volume or Cool Hand Luke or even Elvis in Jailhouse Rock. Much better use of time.
What did I like?
Hedges’ character gets out because he learned the rules and called his mother and knew the law couldn’t keep him there. Smart. The only smart thing his character does in the movie. He is Christ-like. He tells Crowe that he is always welcome if he listens to him and has a real conversation.
Best part by far is I think an actor named Troye Sivan who plays a guy with shocking white hair named Gary. I have no idea why his parents added the extra e but his 30 seconds were invaluable. Maybe he was added by a script doctor. Tarantino did that a lot. Find me that guy’s movie and I’ll watch it.
Gary pulles Hedges aside and says, “Why are you fighting these people? They are just going to fuck with you more. Play the game. Get the fuck out of here before they destroy you and you commit suicide like that fat kid is going to do.”
The fat kid always commits suicide. Didn’t you see Full Metal Jacket which was an semi-funny ripoff of Stripes? John Candy the fat guy in that movie kicks ass, gets promoted and becomes “A lean (not really), mean (not really), fighting machine (not really)!” he is hilarious and ends up on Tiger Beat. I’d much rather see Candy on the cover of Tiger beat than Hedges.
Same vital message Freddie Mercury had, in the equally obvious and horrible “Bohemian Rhapsody” in the next cubicle that they show these things in now.
Open up your mind and let me step inside
Rest your weary head and let your heart decide
It’s so easy when you know the rules
It’s so easy all you have to do
Is fall in love
Play the game
Everybody play the game of love
Ooh yeah
When you’re feeling down and your resistance is low
Light another cigarette and let yourself go
This is your life
Don’t play hard to get
It’s a free world
All you have to do is fall in love
Play the game – yeah
Everybody play the game of love
Ooh yeah
My game of love has just begun
Love runs from my head down to my toes
My love is pumping through my veins
Play the game
Driving me insane
Come come come come come play the game
Play the game play the game play the game
Play the game
Everybody play the game of love
This is your life, don’t play hard to get
It’s a free free world
All you have to do is fall in love
Play the game
Yeah play the game of love
Your life – don’t play hard to get
It’s a free free world
All you have to do is fall in love
Play the game yeah everybody play the game of love
It reminded me of another song with cool lyrics.
When the truth is found
To be lies
And all the joy
Within you dies
Don’t you want somebody to love
Don’t you need somebody to love
Wouldn’t you love somebody to love
You better find somebody to love, love
Those aren’t the songs they wanted you to hear though. I guess they wanted you to hear a Beach Boy’s song.
When the kid learns the “meaning of life” he gets published in the Times or the Post, just like Andrew McCarthy after he finally had shower sex with Ally Sheedy in St. Elmo’s Fire.
His article is called “If God only knew.”
He tells Crowe “God only knows” what you thought.
Fine with me. I love that song.
One of my biggest heroes said it was possibly the greatest song ever written. I saw him do it once and I tried to sing along (badly) too.
Why doesn’t Hedges change?
He just doesn’t. He just rebels. He becomes the exact opposite of his father. At least James Dean, grew.
Is Hedges’ character really gay? I have no idea. I’m confused. He seems attracted to girls in an early church scene. I think he’s confused. He becomes 100% gay because that’s exactly what his father wanted.
Is this an indictment of religion or faith. God no! Nicole Kidman’s character knows that. She still believes, just not in Crowes’ bullshit. At the end, even lunkhead Crowe who let his son get raped at least has some questions.
Stupid. Ignorant. A waste of time.
I hope Nicole wears something hot when she wins her award. I hope Russell doesn’t throw a phone at anyone so he can win his award. I’ll be watching a movie by someone that doesn’t follow the game and upsets the apple cart for a decade like Charlie Kaufman.
But if you are stuck in a prison where men watch you pee?
Hell yes! Play the game and do your best to fall in love.
