elvis4all

God bless Jason Fine for being a friend Brian can trust and for creating this peek into his life. I watched this on a trans-Atlantic flight and had plenty of time to pause, rewind, and repeat segments that piqued my interest. Overall I loved the pacing and details wrapped inside this documentary, and as a journalist myself, I could understand Fine's style of questioning. But after awhile it seemed that this was less of a conversation between two friends and more of a "mobile interview" for the cameras. Granted, that had to be done to create the documentary and cue things up for clips, but when Brian reveals that he's often scared and that Fine's voice helps calm him down, you want Fine to reciprocate by letting down his guard and being more compassionate.

Nowhere was I waiting for this more than in the segment when Fine tells Brian that a mutual friend had died. Brian is at first shocked and, as the news sinks in, begins crying softly. Instead of pulling the car over, getting out, and asking Brian if he wants a hug so Brian can cry it out and process his emotions, the drive continues and the tone of the dialogue is as cold as if he had told him he'd found a quarter in the street. You feel Brian's pain as he is left grappling with the news on his own. It seemed to be the perfect place to forgot the roles of interviewer/subject and reveal some compassion for your friend. That's a feeling that lasts each time you see Brian -- you want to reach through the screen and give him a hug just to help alleviate his turmoil..

Aside from that indelible moment (and missed opportunity), Long Promised Road is a wonderful introduction into the life and mind of an extraordinarily resilient man. If there was a magic wand that could restore someone's mental health, Brian Wilson would be the perfect candidate. For all he's gone through and all he's given, he deserves it.

Last night I was in the mood for a musical, so I turned back to a film I'd enjoyed in the past. While I always shuddered at Henry Higgins' derogatory and commanding final line ("Fetch my slippers") which proved his character was less a male chanteuse who could string together some clever lyrics and rap-style rhyme, at heart he was an emotionally abusive and controlling narcissist with an inability to mature. Worse yet, I had forgotten the level of his ghastliness. In the first few minutes of the film when Eliza's in the streets selling flowers, Higgins ridicules her in front of her friends and treats her as if she's garbage. When she arrives at his home, he further degrades her by treating her like she's his property.

Sure, I know times have changed since the early 1960s, but how did they not understand that when he very literally threatens to kill her, lock her in the basement, and have her beaten if she refuses to complete her lessons that it may not be a message women (or anyone who's not a cruel, manipulative, misogynist) would appreciate? Of course, beyond Higgins' abusive nature you'll also need to set aside the vast gaps in age, upbringing, culture, education, and his implied bisexuality that would suggest it would be impossible for these two to ever form a healthy relationship -- much less any physical attraction from Eliza for a puffy senior citizen. While I have the ability to suspend disbelief, it's impossible to suspend the revulsion of Higgins' character. It's a film that doesn't age well. Twenty minutes in, the penny dropped and I dropped out.

I'd heard of this film for decades and finally got around to watching it. I wish I hadn't. The lingering thought that sticks with me is that it's a film that laughs off the abuse of women. One loser sticks his junk in a box of popcorn to get his girlfriend to grab it -- and then lies to her about it and makes her feel guilty for being upset. Later he tries to disguise his friend's wife so he can shag her to win a bet. Another loser verbally and emotionally abuses his wife when she puts his records in the wrong order. Another loser confines his fiancee in a basement and grills her on sports trivia and breaks off their engagement when she fails the test. Sheer cruelty masked as humor. PS: I'm a guy and was still disgusted.