Movie: Gran Torino

[Animeniax]

Finally saw this movie, kind of disappointed. It was a good movie, but it just didn't have the power and heart-wrenching feel I expected from the previews. It might not have helped that the guy playing Thao wasn't a very good actor and his character wasn't very appealing. Also, Eastwood's character joins in with the yellow people too easily, after all of his "gook" this and "zipperhead" that comments.

I thought it was weird that it was ok for him to use every Asian racial epithet in the book, but then he calls some black guys the "s" word instead of the "n" word. I guess they felt it would have been detrimental to establishing sympathy for the main character if he was an out and out racist and detract from the story.

Otherwise, it's worth seeing the movie, though the story is pretty sad in that they may have won a small battle, but they're losing the war as far as the Hmong colonization of the American midwest goes.

[rockmanj]

I thought it was weird that it was ok for him to use every Asian racial epithet in the book, but then he calls some black guys the "s" word instead of the "n" word. I guess they felt it would have been detrimental to establishing sympathy for the main character if he was an out and out racist and detract from the story.

.

I think they used that to show how old-fashioned he is.

[Animeniax]

I guess maybe. But he had all the yellow slurs down pat. I think zipperhead and gook came about in the 70s with the 'Nam.

edit: ok, the term gook came about long before even the Korean war in the 1950s.

[Raven]

I'd say that while all of the racial slurs in the movie would be shocking if you get offended by that kind of thing, the 'n' word is so universally horrifying to the vast majority they decided it's in their best interests to not include it, even for a character such as this.

[XanBcoo]

Finally saw this movie, kind of disappointed. It was a good movie, but it just didn't have the power and heart-wrenching feel I expected from the previews. It might not have helped that the guy playing Thao wasn't a very good actor and his character wasn't very appealing. Also, Eastwood's character joins in with the yellow people too easily, after all of his "gook" this and "zipperhead" that comments.

I had the same problems with the movie. It was schmaltzy and unbelievable. Every actor that wasn't Eastwood was out and out terrible. There were so many scenes that just confused the hell out of me. I mean just completely and utterly fucking bizarre.

The scene where they're all in Eastwood's backyard near the end and he asks that other Asian girl to go out with Thao was like something out of a Hallmark movie. Stilted dialog and awkward "feel good" smiles all around. Come to think of it, the other scene in the basement with that Asian girl was really strange too. It was like the movie suddenly morphed into some sort of strange teen-romp where the awkward Eastwood, drink in hand, was trying to be "hip" and put the moves on whatever that girl's name was.

Eastwood's family was also so cartoonishly selfish it was hard to take them seriously as characters. Perhaps this is how Eastwood really sees modern America. Cellphones, Japanese cars, and greedy little twats who can't wait for you to die so they can get your stuff.

I did enjoy it though, as a guilty pleasure. Pretty much for the same reason I enjoyed Snakes on a Plane. Eastwood played to his archetype and he did it really well.

Get off my lawn...

[Animeniax]

I had the same problems with the movie. It was schmaltzy and unbelievable. Every actor that wasn't Eastwood was out and out terrible. There were so many scenes that just confused the hell out of me. I mean just completely and utterly fucking bizarre.

The scene where they're all in Eastwood's backyard near the end and he asks that other Asian girl to go out with Thao was like something out of a Hallmark movie. Stilted dialog and awkward "feel good" smiles all around. Come to think of it, the other scene in the basement with that Asian girl was really strange too. It was like the movie suddenly morphed into some sort of strange teen-romp where the awkward Eastwood, drink in hand, was trying to be "hip" and put the moves on whatever that girl's name was.

I completely forgot about the awkward feel of those scenes and how out of place and forced they felt. I thought for a minute Eastwood's character was going to hook up with that chick. How unbelievable is it that the hot chick gets with the goofy kid who no one likes? Thao's haircut really annoyed me too. Try some hair gel.

I have to admit, some of his cultural views jive with mine. Like I always wondered how people from tropical countries in southeast Asia could stand the cold weather in places like Michigan and Minnesota.

[XanBcoo]

I completely forgot about the awkward feel of those scenes and how out of place and forced they felt. I thought for a minute Eastwood's character was going to hook up with that chick. How unbelievable is it that the hot chick gets with the goofy kid who no one likes? Thao's haircut really annoyed me too. Try some hair gel.

Out of place is right. Reminds me of the barbershop scenes, which I forgot to mention before. Those were especially uncomfortable because of the dialog.

I saw the barber laugh to himself early on as Clint was leaving, suggesting that he perhaps didn't really agree with the way they were talking, but did it anyway to entertain his best customer's outdated view of how the world works, because "hey man, who really gives a shit?" But no, later on we're treated to him pulling a gun on Thao when he tries to imitate "the way men talk to each other." Yeah, this guy really thinks that way, and yes, every scene like that was completely unnatural because that's not the way people speak to each other. Maybe I was just missing something?

This thread brings back how torn I was about liking this movie. There were some seriously tense moments and some really powerful and moving scenes, but then we get Clint flirting with an under aged Asian girl and I just wanted to shout "What the fuck is this?!"

I did love the scene with the black guys. Everything that was good about the movie was summed up in that one interaction.

I have to admit, some of his cultural views jive with mine.

No one on this board would have trouble believing that.

[Animeniax]

I did love the scene with the black guys. Everything that was good about the movie was summed up in that one interaction.

The scene with the black punks pissed me off to no end. Not sure why but it made me madder than even the latinos or the hmong gangsters messing with people. I think that was Eastwood's son playing Vanillin Ice.

No one on this board would have trouble believing that.

As long as they understand it's a cultural bias and not racial, I'm ok with that.