Readers 'pet'-rified by negative film review
My review last week detailing the skewed moral compass of "The Secret Life of Pets" filmmakers didn't fare all that well with some Daily Herald readers.
I called "Pets" on the carpet for its depictions of bullying and violence as an effective problem-solving device. I received an email from a reader identified as Tim. He writes: "Dude, 1.5 stars? Movie made $100M-plus. Come on, really???"
Apparently, I'm overdue on delivering my periodic reminder that the quality of a motion picture has no connection with box office receipts, especially on opening weekends.
Reader Bill Hoidas posted this comment online about my "Pets" review: "the media is getting so P.C. it makes me want to throw up. You all need to take a chill pill."
I'm chill, Bill.
Objecting to a movie that reinforces bullying is what every American PTA and PTO should be doing, unless all the anti-bullying rhetoric they generate is blatant hypocrisy.
Meanwhile, in the comments section of dailyherald.com, Kathy Mueller Tiernan writes, "Just let kids laugh! I'd be willing to bet that there is NO racial subtext, nor can we be so PC that puppies and bunnies have to deliver our messages."
Kathy, the puppies and bunnies already deliver messages in "The Secret Life of Pets."
Those messages illustrate the attraction of punching someone (or an obstinate bunny) in the face to elicit a desired response and beating the bejeebers out of people (or talking animals) as an acceptable way to deal with conflict.
Keep in mind that these are not the actions of the bad guys. The supposed heroine Gidget does this.
My point, Kathy, is that if parents approve of this movie, they approve of those "messages," and their children being taught by example that it's OK to intimidate others and to inflict pain to get your way.
Otherwise, "The Secret Life of Pets" is a fun movie.
<h3 class="briefHead">'Fantastic' director sees film as literature</h3>
Actor Matt Ross, known for his role in HBO's "Silicon Valley" series, wrote and directed the family drama "Captain Fantastic," opening this weekend in Chicago and Evanston.
It tells the story of a dedicated widower (Viggo Mortensen) who raises six children to be survivalists, artists and intellectuals while living in the Pacific Northwest woods. I interviewed Ross at Chicago's Waldorf Astoria Hotel.
Q. You cast Westchester native Kathryn Hahn, who's usually associated with being a comedian, as a suburbanite wife and mom. What made you think of her?
A. Kathryn is an extraordinary actress regardless of whether or not she's a comedian. She was trained as an actress and didn't come up the ranks as an improvisational or stand-up comedian. I think she found herself being hired that way.
Q. Mortensen's dad appears to be just a little bit obsessed with raising his family in the boonies, off the grid. Would you agree?
A. No matter who you are, you're trying to create a peaceful, happy community within your own home, right? He's trying to create an optimal existence for his children. He's taking all these things he believes in, then makes it up as he goes along. We all do.
Q. How much of you is in Mortensen's dad?
A. This movie is not autobiographical. I am not Ben Cash, although he could be aspirational, someone who I want to be.
The film is not ideological in that it takes a political view. I enjoy exploring shades of gray where nobody wears a white hat and nobody wears a black hat. We do both in real life. When we're the heroes of our own movies.
Q. What qualities do you look for when making or viewing movies?
A. I want something that's emotionally moving and intellectually stimulating. I was introduced to European art cinema and world cinema at a very young age. So, I saw film as literature, no different from Shakespeare plays.
There are these same primal stories that we tell over and over and over again as a way to talk about what it means to be human. It's all about living together on earth. We share a very limited time together.
• Dann Gire's column runs Friday in Time out!