The number of stars is coincidentally our average I.Q ( Kidding) |
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As a die hard Canadian, I find it amusing-oddly enough not insulting- at how much the Americans feel the need to pump themselves up in their films. America seems incapable of making a blockbuster without exalting the virtues of America or without proudly waving the American flag to strengthen to virtue of whatever value the movie is trying to convey. It is after all not enough to convey a strong value; you must ensure that you convey it as a strong, integral AMERICAN value.
My sister has a tradition of watching ARMAGEDDON every Christmas day, and even though I've now watched it for nine years running, I never tire of the nice little political speech that the president gives when the rockets go up. I don't even bat an eye anymore that the best driller happens to be an American, because of course he would be, the movie wouldn't work if he's Arabic or Dutch. I love how the sentiment is supposed to be global survival and preventing the planets extinction and the rockets were built with the help of the Russian and some other country's space agency (the country named eludes me) yet the names of the rockets are the Freedom and the Independence. Now, how unoriginal is this. Why not go for something cool and actually symbolic like the "Deadalus and the Icarus" name them after the myth of the men who made wings so they could fly. Name it after guys who invented a new technology to escape their terrible fate.
I have to admit, I love that they put a Russian character in there to poke a finger into the proverbial ribs of the Americans.
Oddly enough I like a couple other movies that poke fun at the Americans who like to extol their virtues from the mountain you see at the beginning of UNIVERSAL STUDIOS films.
Love Actually does a great job at poking fun at the stereotypes American have about other parts of the world, and does a great job of exploiting the stereotype the rest of the world has about Americans, or more specifically the American President. Now, please keep in mind that I am not trying to be political, and I am by no means 
America loves the accent, Brits dislike the president, yeah that's equality |
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bashing Americans, I love you Americans. What I am doing is telling you that I thoroughly enjoy it when a movie makes Americans the butt of the joke as it is a nice contrast to the American movies that always try to make America the light of the world.
The scene with Colin in the bar getting hit on by three beautiful American women who love him for nothing more than his English accent is absolutely hilarious. The satire of that scene, suggesting that four women would enjoy inviting a total stranger to sleep with them, alone, naked because they are too poor to afford heat, while simultaneously fearing he will be offended by the invitation makes the whole movie. The only thing funnier was Colin's belief that the women would in fact flock to him in this way once he got there because he had an English accent.
Then there is the scene where the American President is portrayed as a womanizer (Clinton) with a selfish Agenda (Dubya Bush) who doesn't care too much for the desires of the English. Talk about taking care of three American stereotypes in one shot. The English take the opportunity to do something they would ONLY do in the movies, and tell America off as a bully. As the English would say, Classic.
While I love it when the British embrace the opportunity to take some pot shots at Americans in LOVE ACTUALLY, I loved it more when an American director by the name of Michael Moore had the balls to do it his movie CANADIAN BACON. Now, to be fair, Moore poked fun at us Canucks too, but it was nicely balanced with the self defecation of his own country. Instead of portraying the Americans as a noble patriotic and giving nation, he satirized them as power hungry money grubbing, capitalistic, selfish, robots willing to go to war to avoid boredom. The president is portrayed as nothing without his advisors, weak in his convictions as his people are buying weapons of mass destruction at a weapons auction for an armory warehouse that had to close down due to an economic slump brought on by a lengthy duration of detente with other world 
Hes ours, you may have him for films but he belongs to us, Alllllrightythen |
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nations.
If you have not seen the movie, give it a look. It's about America starting a war with Canada to please the people and raise the support for the president. Every stereotype you can think of aboot either country is exploited, including the one I just made with the intentional misspelling of "about" in this sentence.
Now America, I love you, you are my neighbors, you are my friends, and even though you make me pay more for a book, even when our dollar is nearly at par with yours now, and you take all our good hickey players and then win all the cups for the last twenty years, I don't hate you. I also don't need to hear from every movie you put out how great your country is. You are America the proud. But its one thing to be proud of your daughter when she gets an A on her spelling test, its another thing when you constantly feel the need to inform, the mailman, the milkman, the guy waiting with you to cross the street, or the guy serving you a coffee at Starbucks.
It seems like you guys think you have to remind your people and everyone else who watches your movies, just how good your country is with subtle jabs and outright speeches of American patriotism. And, while I am appreciative of the fact that I don't have to watch your movies if this bothers me, the Canadian movie industry is controlled by Americans, and BON COP BAD COP is the biggest movie we have put out since PORKY'S. If I don't watch your movies, I have nothing to watch. I am left with no choice but to watch all of my good Canadian actors extol all of your positive American virtues repeatedly.
The bible talks of the virtue of humility, and the bible has sold more copies than the number of ticket sold to the top ten films combined. Even if you are not religious and do not go for that kind of thing, it a popular book and a lot of people look to it for guidance and inspiration. Perhaps the film industry could adopt the part about humility as their mantra, and spare us and the rest of your own country the "pat yourself on the back", "aren't we great" sentiment.
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| Mouthing Off |
Every other Thursday
Mouthing Off is the no bull, tell it like it is column on various issues in the Hollywood arena. You want PC, then keep on moving, you won't get it here.
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| Jeff Winston |
I am a part time writer and full time teacher. I am currently stationed in the middle of nowhere, northern Alberta, Canada. I love movies, and I love to vent, I am happy to have an outlet to incorporate both here on Matchflick.
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| Contact |
If you have a comment, question, or suggestion, you can send a message to Jeff Winston by clicking here.
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