October 11, 2014

Hostile Christmas negativity at its Hollywood worst.

Here's Robin Williams in the mean old man role in "Merry Friggin' Christmas." They must have counted on and intended to exploit Williams's long-term reputation as madcap and lovable, but now his suicide looms over every non-life-affirming line:



I'm sure the film ends life-affirmingly, since there's no sign that this Hollywood product is anything but cynically formulaic. I'd rather watch a melodrama about an old actor who decides to make a movie like "Merry Friggin' Christmas" — because it's his best offer at the time — and agonizes over how to go on living. Something more like...

10 comments:

rhhardin said...

Derbyshire today goes behind a paywall, ending my collection of weekly radioderbs on the HD at 412.

An example of negativity.

George M. Spencer said...

What genius would name a movie "Merry Friggin' Christmas"?

ISIS?

Anonymous said...

"You know, Purgatory isn't such a bad place, except for everyone coming up to me and asking me to be funny. 'Mr. Williams, just one "Na-Nu Na-Nu,' please?' 'I loooooved you in 'Mrs. Doubtfire'...' Look, people: I'm dead. I'm just here like the rest of you, repenting in God's bus station, let's keep our focus...

In a lot of ways Purgatory is pretty much like my life was on earth, except now I'm not as worried about money, so that part is good. It seems I have a lot I have to atone for: it turns out all that cocaine WAS a sin, I didn't know...

It's been good seeing John Belushi again, we had some good times. Of course, we're not supposed to now remember them as good times, they keep teaching us that in the group sessions. In a lot of ways Pugatory is like the longest AA meeting ever, and without the coffee...

Know who I was surprised to see still being here? Leonardo DaVinci. I mean, if HE is still here how long am I going to have to stay? Except it turns out that Leonardo already made it to Heaven once, but got into an argument with God over symmetry and was sent back here for some remedial classes...

Us suicides, we kinda hang together. It can get tough, though -- hanging around Sylvia Plath and trying not to tell her I wasn't really impressed with "The Bell Jar", maybe it was a woman thing. And David Carradine keeps trying to hang around us -- get it? hang? anyway, we have to tell him that it wasn't exactly a suicide there, pal, you might be better off over with Michael Hutchence...

A lot of us white folk here in Purgatory, a lot of white folk. Seems we had it pretty good on Earth at the expense of others; I guess being nice to Cuba Gooding Jr. wasn't quite enough...

Nobody seems to know exactly how long we have to stay here; it's like that line from 'Hotel California' -- "you can check out any thime you like, but you can never leave..." I do have to tell you, though: they are REALLY excited to get Don Henley here when his Time comes -- seems he has a lot to answer for...

Ann Althouse said...

"What genius would name a movie "Merry Friggin' Christmas"?"

Now bring us some friggin' pudding. Now bring us some friggin' pudding. Now bring us some friggin' pudding. And bring it right here.

George M. Spencer said...

Two civilizations, both at extremes.

One saws off the heads of anyone--even its owns adherents--who does not literally kow-tow to its wildest believers.

The other defiles its own cultural observances and metaphorically beheads anyone who dares defy the most extreme politically correct -isms espoused by fanatics.

Paul said...

When Narcissist find out they are going downhill in a bad fashion they tend to terminate themselves.

Makes me wonder what will happen to Obama once he leaves office, impeached or not he will be a hated man.

Rusty said...


What genius would name a movie "Merry Friggin' Christmas"?


i would.

Or

If

i

Was


Samuuel L Jackson

Merry Motherfuckin Christmas

Ron said...

Lauren Graham! I could watch her read the phone book....if we still had phone books.

CatherineM said...

There is a Robin movie on Netflix called "World's Greatest Dad," where his son hangs himself in much the same way Robin did in real life. I watched it because I heard it was a funny dark comedy and I was shocked by the similarities between Robin's suicide.

jr565 said...

Agree on Lauren Graham. Yum.
Wasn't she also in Bad Santa? What's with her picking movies that denigrate Christmas (even though they ultimately end up being Christmas affirming of course)