Karina Longworth takes issue more with Frank Rich writing the piece on Wall-E than with the piece, or the message:
I haven’t seen Wall-E, and though I’m sure it’s just as good as everyone insists it is and totally deserves 20 million Oscars (or else it’s a virus that’s going to turn Our Children into tax-hiking Commie zombies––whatever!), there few things in this world that irk me more than the sanctimonious suggestion from a newspaper columnist that prospective world leaders “could really learn a thing or two” from watching a Hollywood movie, let alone a Hollywood movie geared toward an audience old enough to be susceptible to the charm of the film’s assorted synergistic tie-ins, but too young to actually pay for their own ancilaries themselves. Shit is, as we know, pretty bad out there, but it’s hard to decide what’s the more ridiculous rhetoric suggestion for the replacement of our current political system: rescue by corporation, or by cartoon.
For my money, Longworth is one of the best there is on the subject of film and I wish her blog were more prominent in the sea of fanboy dominance but I might delicately suggest she see the film before spoutblogging off. Just a thought.
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How ludicrous, making judgement BEFORE seeing the film!
Talk about being “sanctimonious!”
Karina is among the legion of irritating people who are all smarter than me. I blame myself for this however, not her. And I use the word “irritating” in the best sense of the word.
Anyway, she may be underestimating WALL-E as kid’s stuff, but her point is well taken. I’m not sure I’d want my politicians taking their lessons from any Hollywood movie.
On the other hand, I think she’s taking the column a bit too seriously because it makes for better blogging that way. Does anyone think Rich literally believes the world would be a better place if McCain simply watched WALL-E?
karina a little too highfalutin for me. Rich was and is a fantastic art critic and movies are art. i think people forget that. we can all learn from art…that’s one of it’s highest purposes. even by way of a story about a little robot.
I think I’ll slightly disagree with Longworth, and bring up a movie that everyone from the mid-80s remembers….THE DAY AFTER.
You might remember that TV movie shot by Nicholas Meyer (THE WRATH OF KAHN) where he showed us how fun and cheerful nuclear fallout could be for the whole community.
If the story is to be believed, Reagan seeing DAY AFTER was one of the reasons why his 2nd term was filled with arms control treaties with the Russians, compared to the heavy arms race stockpiling in the first term.
Better yet, look at THE CHINA SYNDROME…which was out in theatres when Three Mile Island shit went down, and made people (many to this day) afraid of nuclear power.*
Movies do have an effect on politics, maybe few, if any at all, make a critical shift, but they do happen.
*=Even those who advocate it to create an Independent Energy Supply for America, who among them would want to live near a nuke power plant?
I think not seeing the film has robbed her of a critical perspective. She’s effectively putting words in Frank Rich’s mouth, changing his position to say that Wall-E has all the answers. Well of course she’s going to win that argument, but she’s having it with herself. Rich is saying that Wall-E makes its argument in simple human terms and that it is focused on what most Americans are worried about: the future of the planet. With Obama and McCain triangulating like there’s no tomorrow, some plain-spoken simplicity is what Rich, and all of us, desire.
And: HOW CAN YOU RUN A GOOD MOVIE BLOG WHEN YOU HAVEN’T SEEN THE BEST FILM SO FAR THIS YEAR TWO WEEKS AFTER IT’S BEEN RELEASED?
Oy!
Well…she really downsizes the importance art, doesn’t she? I mean…she sounds incredulous at the suggestion that a film, let alone an animated film, can change people’s minds. Art, whether literature or fine arts or film (and yes, even an animated film), has always had great influence on people’s minds and mindsets. Just look at history to see my point…now is not the time for an essay about it. Now, I’m not going to bring up the whole political issue (obviously that is an issue that is bound to be divisive), or ask whether the film’s theme is right or wrong, though personally (oh whatever, I’ll bring it up anyway) I admit that I believe the film’s political message is very valid. But that notwithstanding, no one can accurately deny the importance of art, whether you agree or disagree with its uses, and so you, Ms. Longworth, should not underestimate (or as Bush would say…misunderestimate!) the power of art.
I think it’s okay to make an opinion about a movie that one hasn’t seen–as long as there’s a full disclosure about not seeing the film.
Now, having seen the film and just being really so- so- about Wall-E, I don’t think it’s gonna change the world. And Oh, the irony of sipping XXL drinks and eating XXL popcorn in the theater while being hypnotized by the big screen talking about consumerism. AXIOM in earth much? Call me when Disney and Pixar stops acting like BNL and starts talking about the nature of their merchandise.
Having said that, I can only think of one movie that had influenced a lot of people with regards to the environment. And it’s Al Gore’s An Inconvinient Truth. That movie along with the tragic Katrina mess happening in right about the same time made people think hard about how we treat the planet.
I sure hope they recycle all of those poster boards.
I guess I’m the only one that didn’t think Wall-E was a 4/5 star movie, more like a 3 star movie. I loved the animation, but the story fell apart for me when the robot when to Axiom and the humans came into play. They weren’t even funny. And they were drawn like any regular TV cartoon character. It should have been more robots and less humans.
I agree Sally, I’d even say it’s a 2 start movie
However, Longworth is being very ignorant, anyone remember the phrase “the most important things in life we learn in kindergarden” … or are do values we teach children all fall in line with fantasy/santa claus, including cultural idealism. I would like to think we teach it to children because we hope they will change the world, not to protect their innocence.
However, I don’t think the arts are meant to change us, but to reflect the conscience of the times, that’s how we can take value from them and make our own changes. The arts are for history to look back on and see what was on the masses psyche and how they dealt with it, that’s why McCain should be watching movies like Wall-E and There will be Blood or at least reading the cliffnotes
RichardA, I understand where you’re coming from but I respectfully must disagree. Wall-E could very well be part of a system of films that gradually changes the world. An Inconvenient Truth, while it was correct in its message, and may have gotten a lot more people thinking, let’s face it: we still haven’t signed the Kyoto Protocol. The other problem with documentaries (versus fictional movies) is that they don’t really have a sense of timelessness. Wall-E will be viewed by many children, who will have a sense of the world and the future that may be in store for it (or how it is now, actually). So Wall-E will in fact be a much greater influence in the long haul (at least that’s my prediction). So give it some time before you say it won’t change the world. It certainly won’t do it immediately. And while you are right about the hypocrisy of moviegoers and Pixar/Disney alike, do not forget that old saying “Do as I say, not as I do”. Because as much as I like Al Gore, let’s face it: he does have a house with an energy usage far above the national average. So if you can buy into the little hypocrisy of Al Gore, you can buy into the little hypocrisy of Pixar.
Jeff: that bit about Gore’s house is not entirely accurate. His energy bill is so high because he uses some rather expensive renewable devices.
Anyone who calls WALL-E a 2-star movie clearly doesn’t know what quality is, and judging from RichardA’s and jjj’s track records, I would say that is right. Some films I can tolerate disagreement on, but WALL-E is not one of them.
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