cdavis-19

There were elements of this film that I found quirky-for-the-sake-of-it, while others were almost painfully poignant. When a film accomplishes the latter, I'm willing to forgive what I perceive as missteps. I notice from the reviews that there appear to be two prominent camps: the Sandler fans and the Not Sandler fans. I would hasten to identify myself as the latter - and herein lies one of the supreme pleasures of the film. He was utilized perfectly. Comparable to how Keanu Reeves was used in the Matrix. And John Travolta in Pulp Fiction, etc. This is a separate talent almost a thing unto itself - set apart from the movies that contain them. So - brilliant, that. And I can't think of a film since Marty that depicts so well that extraordinary occurance when someone unlovable is loved.

Visually, I found it beautiful. The score was a little overbearing and distracting at points, but I think I understood it's intended function. As for the little light shows interspersed throughout, that was sort of one of my 'what the hell?' moments, but overall this movie moved me. And I can't ask for more than that.

I saw this film when it first came out and just loved it. Watched it twice in a row - the second time picking up on the clues left. However, I saw the film a month or so after 9/11 and was jarred by what a different experience it was. And I think the key factor is that it is a movie that appealed very much to self-professed anarchists, of which I confess I've always considered myself. The idealized version. 9/11 was the actuality. Admittedly, the motives were completely different and I still think the primary messages in Fight Club - the numbing half-sleep we navigate life in, what does it take to feel alive, what is it to be a man in today's world, the anti-consumerism riffs - these are all relevant and unscathed. It just made me rethink monkeywrenching a bit.

I first stumbled across this on late night television in the 70's - I have subsequently viewed it about every 5 years or so since and while yes, it's dated in many aspects, I don't necessarily believe that is a bad thing. Bedazzled was very much a movie of it's time, while also being ahead of it's time, as most brilliant things are. The theological satirizations still hold up today and I think it's an excellent riff on how many variables go into an experience, making wishes an exercise in futility. I have enjoyed owning the video so that I can fast forward through Ms. Welch's scene, which I have always found cringeworthy and the one sour note of the film. But the sight of the little old lady peddling off to the village for Fruney Green Eyewash is still one of my favorite things in the world.