I rarely get letters to the editor, but I expect to attract reader indignation on two counts this week. First, for criticizing Storm Large’s solo show; second, for failing to condemn a date rape scene in the new Jody Hill-directed Observe and Report.
The internet is kerfuffled about the scene, at the 2:40 mark in the clip above, which features Seth Rogan having sex with a shit-faced Anna Faris. I may lose my feminist bona fides for this one, but to condemn the movie for playing-rape-for-laughs is to miss the point of what I thought was a pretty remarkable film. Observe and Report is funny, but it’s not a comedy—it’s a character study. The character in question is truly deluded, probably sociopathic, and he does a lot of fucked up things over the course of the movie—take away the laughs, as Rogen observed when I interviewed him, and you’re watching a movie that owes a far greater debt to Taxi Driver than to any comedies.
There are very good reasons why some women might be uncomfortable with this—I’m certainly not going to insist that anyone “learn how to take a joke,” particularly considering the sexual assault stats in this country. But I do think that to dismiss the entire film as a comedy that makes rape jokes is to do a disservice to a genuinely original and interesting movie. Also: I’m generally quite intolerant of onscreen rape scenes (BSG really bummed me out on that count), but I should note that the phrase “date rape” didn’t cross my mind until Rogan used it in our interview—the scene scanned to me as though he’d just noticed she’s passed out during sex. Not exactly romantic; not exactly unheard of, in non date-rapey scenarios, either. That’s just my perception, of course.
*too sensationalist?
What? Is this like the American version of Irreversable or something?
People are ridiculous.
This is like last week when everyone was freaking out about that smoking commercial where the mom loses her kid for a minute at the train station.
This is more like people thinking Tropic Thunder was trying to excuse Blackface. Which was a very wrong read, usually made by people who hadn’t seen the movie and had no context to process the information with.
This is exactly what that is. They think it’s Superbad meets Paul Blart and therefore it must be trying to excuse Date Rape by having Seth Rogen make it funny.
That’s an ignorant read, especially if one hasn’t seen the movie. It’s merely a misguided read if one has seen the movie and still comes to that conclusion. Either way, it’s pretty obvious the movie isn’t trying to excuse Date Rape.
More interested in Alison’s “BSG really bummed me out on that count” comment regarding onscreen rape scenes. Don’t recall anything like that myself…
Unless we’re talking about the skin job being tortured on Pegasus? In that case, I actually thought that it worked really well. Made everyone watching completely uncomfortable and established that the human characters were just as capable of committing horrible acts as the Cylons.
Doesn’t she wake up and say “why you stopping motherfucker?”
There will always be some cretin who will misinterpret art as conveying a message that is opposite of what is intended… or something like that. But let’s not dumb down the art for the sake of that person.
Also, while I recognize that Storm Large is really big in P-town, and saying anything that is not glowing about her will ruffles feathers … she would probably be the first to admit she’s not perfect. I have no desire to go see her show just because of the premise. I like seeing her perform normally, however.
I will gladly write a thank you letter to the editor for criticizing Storm Large’s one woman show. If I want tripe, I’ll go to King Burrito on Sunday morning and order the menudo. At least that has taste.
I was under the impression that people who saw the scene did not actually think it was rape until the film makers interpreted it that way for us. I think it’s a bit creepy that they want it to come across that way. It makes me wonder what their $$ millions in market research and test screenings are telling them about american psychology. They could also just be trying to generate cultural buzz so people will go see it, in which case I compliment the Mercury for helping in that effort. 🙂
Those of us from rotten, stileproject, muchosucko, 4chan, etc laugh at the uncomfortableness of the world. Bring it.
I thought the storm large review was good. Very fair and much more credible than the O’s review (i.e. the O’s was so positive I didn’t really believe anything in it).
thanks for the newfaggotry, 3.SrIZgXIn-94wlXob+TM*mLQxO?qXv^53.CJPq8&n&9TxsQWuEHZC:YlqeLUD&S.
I liked when Storm played Evita on the steps on City Hall recently. Faboo!
@ Justin
Yeah, that. I’ve had this argument before, and I always lose, but in a nutshell: I find it disappointing that in a show that purports to even the playing field between the sexes, women are still terrorized by the threat of sexual violence.
Ugh. People are dumb. As people become more P.C., we allow our elected officials to make more laws and taxes. Seems like its all connected, right? Fuck it. I’m going with the flow from now on. That’s right big brother – tax my kayak, raise the alcohol tax by 400% annually, ban all weapons, might as well legalize it too so we can all pay $500 for an dime bag.
Alison – Did it make any difference that the sexual violence in that particular case was ordered by a woman?
And would you have found it as distasteful if it had been, say, a Leoben instead of a Six?
BTW, not trying to win this argument or anything, just curious.
Uh…this it like…a movie. People don’t know it’s acting? WTF?
@Justin
It was certainly really interesting narratively to have Cain order Six’s rape, but I still wish they hadn’t done it. It’s actually not the idea of rape as a plot device that bothers me—in the context of the show, there’s a good case for why that happened. In the context of my living room, watching my favorite awesome space show, I was just really disappointed to see it. Had it been more equal opportunity rape-y, I might feel differently about it… I don’t think so, though. I hate rape scenes.
Date Rape is not a legal term but rather something some dummy came up with to sugar coat a brutal crime.
Oh I just love Portland where you are a prude if you don’t think a rape scene belongs in a comedy and where child predators hold public office…sick.