catarinaloss

An icon as beloved as Rock Hudson deserves a thorough, thoughtful, and multifaceted documentary. So why is it that he got one that focuses so heavily on his sexuality and conquests, and not nearly enough on the man himself? No person is defined simply by their sexual orientation and nor should they be. This is especially true of one of the biggest movie stars of the '50s and '60s. Going from the Midwest to Hollywood, experiencing the ups and downs of stardom, and being closeted all the while all must affect someone in various ways. But we don't really learn how in this doc. Instead, it consists mostly of interviews with men he had flings with. There is some good insight here and there, but it mostly gets lost amongst talk of his romantic relationships.

Perhaps he was just too private for any truly meaningful content to be put together about him. If that's the case, it probably wasn't worth making this. I also seriously question the director's abilities because, as another review said, the movie clip usage grew tiresome and was uncomfortable at times. There were also a couple of highly unnecessary crude comments about Rock that were inexplicably not edited out.

I personally don't think Rock would appreciate his sexuality being the biggest talking point because I don't think anyone would. He was so much more than that. This is a skip.

Every once in a while, a movie or tv show will take you by surprise in just how utterly raw and well crafted it is- The Bear is one of those shows. Now, I have never worked in the culinary industry, but the first thing that hit me in the pilot was the portrayal of the kitchen scenes. Despite having zero experience, I knew right away that *this* is what working in a restaurant is like. There is yelling and running around, yet it is controlled chaos.

The second thing that hit me is the characters. They are all intensely relatable, particularly the main character, Carmy. Despite cussing each other out on a regular basis, there is a running theme of taking care of the people around you and not being afraid of admitting your shortcomings. Their struggles are all too real at times and can be a complete gut punch.

Finally, I was hit by the city itself. I was born and raised in Chicago, so I was both anxious and trepidatious to see how it would be portrayed. Somehow, it exceeded my expectations. From the scenery, to the inside jokes, to the iconic landmarks, this is Chicago in all its glory.

The Bear is here; this Chicagoan approves.