This friend also blogs. He is good at it. He is a writer, a real writer, so he is far better than me at this. While I think he would be supportive I harbor no illusions that I fall into the category of "everyone has a blog" that many writers use as an argument against blogging. I mention him because I read his blog daily and though he stays away from politics I chide him if he does. I do this because I abhor political discussion. Not only can it be divisive, it is akin to banging your head up against the wall.
Does the previous paragraph qualify as foreshadowing? I'm not sure, but I am going to get a bit political. If you are going to discuss this movie it is hard to avoid politics. For the record, my views lean towards the conservative, but I certainly don't toe the party line. For example, I think the Republican party line stance on the environment is down right reprehensible, but that is just me.
While I have my faith, I am not one of these right wing Bible thumpers either. I'm so sick of the Bible as an argument. The Bible also has a verse stating that women should be silent in Church. I don't see any evangelists railing against women; do you? The historical context for that verse is actually kind of interesting, google it. It will be one more of those interesting facts you know that doesn't do much of anything for you.
While I am at it, lets get everything out in the open, lest I am accused of something unfairly. I am not gay, nor am I homophobic. I wouldn't consider myself a champion for gay rights. I would be lying if I said that I am a bit uncomfortable of public displays of affection by homosexual couples. Despite that I think they should be free to do so if they desire.
As far as I am concerned if the scripture everyone quotes is correct that is between the homosexual and God. I have no right to judge them for their choices. I am pretty sure there is something in the Bible that says, "judge not lest you be judged" Not to mention the fact that I would wager that at least half of todays marriages occur outside a church, in a civil ceremony.
I don't want to speak for a group that I don't belong to, but I think most homosexuals want the same benefits that a traditional couple gains from being married. If a traditional couple gets these benefits, why not a homosexual couple. After all one of our most treasured documents states "....that all men are created equal..." Well back then that was a somewhat exclusionary statement, I guess homosexuals have replaced African Americans there. What a bunch of fucking hypocrites we are if we don't afford equal rights to a person because of their sexual preference.
Talk about getting sidetracked. Let's talk about the movie which made it to my list by virtue of being nominated in 2010 for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Mark Ruffalo), and Best Actress (Annette Benning). I can't compare the movie or their performances to any of the others that they were up against, because I haven't seen any of them yet, other than Toy Story 3.
The movie stars Annette Benning (Nic), Mark Ruffalo (Paul), Julianne Moore (Jules), Mia Wasakowska (Joni), and Josh Hutcherson (Laser). Nic and Jules are a lesbian couple with two kids; Joni and Laser. Paul is the sperm donor who happens to be the biological father. Laser want to know who his Dad is but is not 18 yet so he asks his sister Joni to contact the sperm bank for him. She does and they meet their Dad without telling their moms. The first meeting is obviously awkward and was a great scene. It was exactly as I would have pictured a meeting like this being.
The rest of the movie explores the relationship of Nic & Jules with each other, their kids and this new found "family" member. I don't want to go into too much detail because I do not want to give the story away. I suppose the goal of this movie was to show that a same sex marriage with kids isn't really any different than the conventional marriage. The same problems a man and a woman confront in their marriage are confronted in this lesbian marriage. Infidelity, alienation, routine and parenting issues are all explored. If this was the goal then I believe the movie succeeds.
My only gripe about the movie is I think some of the scenes, especially the ones where they were engaged in routine day to day activities and acting "normal" were somewhat forced. To me it seemed that in the quest to prove that the issues really aren't that different they went over the top. The dinner scenes almost seemed Bradyesque to me. I also found it a bit strange that when Nic & Jules suspected their son may be gay that they weren't all that pleased with the possibility. I may be off base, but that is the feeling I got and I found that to be a bit strange. Not as strange as the fact that two lesbians watched gay male porn, but strange none the less.
Well that is two in a row that I enjoyed and would recommend. I certainly think the social messages in this movie are worth it. If anything if people can come away that homosexuals aren't very much different than the rest of us, then I think this movie succeeds. They aren't aliens whose views are that much different than the rest of us.
As info, here is the competiton the movie, Annette Benning, and Mark Ruffalo were up against.
Best Picture
- Black Swan
- The Fighter
- Inception
- The Kings Speech
- 127 Hours
- The Social Network
- Toy Story 3
- True Grit
- Winters Bone
- Christian Bale as Dicky Eklund in The Fighter
- John Hawkes as Teardrop in Winters Bone
- Jeremey Renner as James Coughlin in The Town
- Geoffrey Rush as Lionel Louge in The Kings Speech
- Nicole Kidman as Becca in Rabbit Hole
- Jennifer Lawrence as Ree in Winters Bone
- Natalie Portman as Nina Sayers in The Black Swan
- Michelle Williams as Cindy in Blue Valentine
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