The other night I watched Fingersmith with my mother. I had seen it before and read the book when it came out. The book is wonderful and I had lent it to my mother, like, a year ago. She enjoyed it but never finished it. I thought the BBC adaptation was excellent, really capturing many, many aspects of the novel. Because there are so many surprising twists and turns, you kind of miss out on the experience if you already know everything, as did my mother and I.
Last night I went to see You Don't Mess with the Zohan, a silly comedy about an Israeli super-counter-terrorist whose secret dream is to become a hair-dresser. Although there were some funny moments, and there is something just naturally likable about Adam Sandler, it was at best forgettable, and at worst offensive. Even though I think that by making fun of EVERYONE it is supposed to be side-stepping any accusation of racism or anti-semitism, I can't imagine how an Israeli or Arab would feel watching it. But even that comment on my part is taking it too seriously. Although as my friend pointed out, this is a historic movie, being the first comedy about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, I don't know that this effort is anything to celebrate.
1 comment:
Adam Sandler is classic in his own way, though he tends to do his best work when he stays casual, not trying too hard to be funny or deep, etc.
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