Reality Bites Seen as an Examination of M/F Cultural Stasis
Lelania (as portrayed by Winona Ryder) is presented with almost the ur-relationship choice type dilemma: choose between Mr. Right and Mr. Wrong. Mr. Right is portrayed by Ben Stiller as a really nice guy who really wants to help Lelania shirk the troublesome cruft shes built up over the years in college thats preventing her from becoming an adult (with a troubling subplot of him turning her childish project into a more adult one). Mr. Wrong is portrayed by Ethan Hawke as quite the asshole who really wants to help Lelania add further cruft that would help her avoid responsibility in the adult world for the foreseeable future (with a less than delightful subplot of him taking potshots at Mr. Right for perceived actions of selling out). As also can probably be guessed, Lelania first chooses Mr. Right, her feelings towards Mr. Wrong initially a veneer of hostility to hide repressed attraction, but finds that his desire to help her in the shirking of cruft is not congruent with her desires for the foreseeable future. As is probably evident from the first moments in which Lelania and Mr. Wrong are on screen at the same time, Lelania chooses Mr. Wrong over Mr. Right and the audience is expected to feel that this is the right decision (as evidenced by the Hollywood ending soundtrack swelling as Lelania and Mr. Wrong embrace and the camera pulls back in a crane shot of Lelanias front porch).
Q1. To what degree of the audiences acceptance of Lelanias choice of Mr. Wrong should be attributed to cultural conditioning as practiced by Hollywood?
Q2. Is the audience desired to speculate on the nature of the relationship that Lelania and Mr. Wrong will have and possibly come to the conclusion that the relationship has less a chance of lasting than a possible relationship with Mr. Right?
Q2(b)(optional). If the audience does not side with the protagonists (Lelania and Mr. Wrong) and instead sides with the antagonist (Mr. Right), should the film be considered a failure, and is discussion of the possible intention of alienating a segment of the audience viable and valid?
Lelania (as portrayed by Winona Ryder) is presented with almost the ur-relationship choice type dilemma: choose between Mr. Right and Mr. Wrong. Mr. Right is portrayed by Ben Stiller as a really nice guy who really wants to help Lelania shirk the troublesome cruft shes built up over the years in college thats preventing her from becoming an adult (with a troubling subplot of him turning her childish project into a more adult one). Mr. Wrong is portrayed by Ethan Hawke as quite the asshole who really wants to help Lelania add further cruft that would help her avoid responsibility in the adult world for the foreseeable future (with a less than delightful subplot of him taking potshots at Mr. Right for perceived actions of selling out). As also can probably be guessed, Lelania first chooses Mr. Right, her feelings towards Mr. Wrong initially a veneer of hostility to hide repressed attraction, but finds that his desire to help her in the shirking of cruft is not congruent with her desires for the foreseeable future. As is probably evident from the first moments in which Lelania and Mr. Wrong are on screen at the same time, Lelania chooses Mr. Wrong over Mr. Right and the audience is expected to feel that this is the right decision (as evidenced by the Hollywood ending soundtrack swelling as Lelania and Mr. Wrong embrace and the camera pulls back in a crane shot of Lelanias front porch).
Q1. To what degree of the audiences acceptance of Lelanias choice of Mr. Wrong should be attributed to cultural conditioning as practiced by Hollywood?
Q2. Is the audience desired to speculate on the nature of the relationship that Lelania and Mr. Wrong will have and possibly come to the conclusion that the relationship has less a chance of lasting than a possible relationship with Mr. Right?
Q2(b)(optional). If the audience does not side with the protagonists (Lelania and Mr. Wrong) and instead sides with the antagonist (Mr. Right), should the film be considered a failure, and is discussion of the possible intention of alienating a segment of the audience viable and valid?
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Your going to ruin my plan of not thinking of film for a few days! Run from the journal Swoo, RUN!