MovieChat Forums > Ordinary People (1980) Discussion > The lads singing the McDonald's song

The lads singing the McDonald's song

posted 7 years ago by ABBAcat
7 replies | jump to latest

Nobody can do it, like McDonald's can...Nobody can do it, like McDonald's can...You de-serve a break today...

Was that McD's jingle in the 1970's?

Why did Conrad get so uptight? He was opening up and talking about his wrists to Pratt, then the lads entered singing and stealing hats, plonking one on Pratt. What was she supposed to do? Ignore that huge spectacle and stay all focused on Conrad?

Conrad was so intense. I get that he went through a lot and all, but I could not see why a happy, pretty girl like Pratt would be interested in this skinny, emo kid.

🐾

[–] daverindone 7 years ago

"So get up
and get
away
to McDonalds
We do it all for you!"

Yeah, that was their 70's jingle. Fast food and drive though's were still pretty new to our area, now they run 24-7 in almost every town.

I'd say Conrad was an emo in an un-ironic sense. He has PTSD, Survivor's guilt, depression, anxiety, parenting issues and low self esteem. He wasn't some attention seeking kid hanging out at Hot Topic listening to The Cure.

The fast food scene was unique because what started out as a casual (bad bowling) date took a dark turn at one of the most known hangouts in America. She did ask him if it (the suicide attempt) and he gives an honest answer on what it was like. She seemed fascinated until the well meaning guys broke the moment without possibly knowing what they were talking about. I always felt like if he told the whole story, she may never want to see him again. He did give a glimpse to Dr. Berger and it's nothing you'd want to go over with a Bic Mac.

[–] ABBAcat 7 years ago

I always felt like if he told the whole story, she may never want to see him again. He did give a glimpse to Dr. Berger and it's nothing you'd want to go over with a Bic Mac.

They were saved by the boisterous interruption. Conrad was so vulnerable yet he seemed to be willing to trust Pratt, because she is open, honest and kind. When she slid back into teenage mode around the crowd, he withdrew his trust.

Yeah, emo in the 1970s looked more untucked LL Bean and bed hair, than Hot Topic and piercings. Right too, he was not emo by choice, and certainly didn't seem to want to call attention to himself.

🐾

[–] jbartelone 7 years ago

I was let down by the Mcdonalds singing scene,

The reason is we never know what Conrad was about to say to Jeanine about his suicide attempt. Does the novel have this same sequence of events? It could have revealed some more pain in Conrad's life, but we will never know.

Joe

[–] Goodbye_from_Fox_In_A_Box 7 years ago

You mean Jeanine. Karen was the friend who killed herself.

There's nothing new, IMO, that Conrad would shed light on. He's a teen, feels responsible for his brother's death/has survivor guilt, feels inferior to his brother in every way, and has a mother whom he never connected with/felt she blamed and hated him. It all culminated one night where he fell into the abyss and felt his life wasn't worth living. We know that he really did intend to off himself, instead of it being a cry for help, because his father, who found him, wasn't supposed to be home when he did it.

Its been, jeez, over 30 years since I read the novel. Now I'm in the mood to read it again.

I don't want the world. I just want your half.

[–] jbartelone 7 years ago

Thank you Fox in a Box!

I made the correction you mentioned above by editing my post.

Joe

[–] gcarras (2727) 5 years ago

And when I was a 60s kid, it was their first jingle that existed:
"Oh..McDonald's is your kinda place/
Fries and a hap-hap=hapy face/
and some vanila milk milk milk milkshaes;
Oh,m Mcdonalds is your kind aplace, mc donalds is your place":
(tune of DOWN BY THE RIVERSIDE)

[–] Who (5146) 2 years ago

Ba da ba ba ba. I’m Lovin’ it