Gilliam's Criterion commentary

The ending of Terry Gilliam's audio commentary on the Criterion DVD is just as baffling as the film's ending itself. Okay, I get that he sees Kevin's parents exploding as a positive thing (in a warped sort of way). Due to their stupidity and neglect, Kevin is better off without them. He says that at the screening, girls were distressed watching Trevor and Diane die, but boys loved it, because, in Gilliam's own words, "boys know they don't need looking after."

What? Seriously? First of all, I'd like to break the mold Gilliam refers to and express that, as a male child, I was always confused and distressed watching Kevin's parents die and to this day, despite knowing what useless douchebags they are, I'm still a little unnerved and consider their "comeuppance" a little harsh (an opinion Kevin seems to share, despite Gilliam's message). I realize, however, that I may have just been an unusual boy, but the fact is I liked my parents and didn't want anything bad to happen to them.

But back to basics. Does Gilliam actually believe children are better off without their parents? Sure, many kids get mad when their parents punish them or forbid them from doing something they want to do. Many do fantasize about striking out on their own, or go to extremes and wish their mom and dad would just disappear. But here's the thing: what children want and what's actually good for them are two different things.

And not all kids are like this, either. Like any other human beings they're individuals and there are lots of kids that love their parents and want to be with them. The way Gilliam speaks of parents, though, he seems to believe that all kids just see their parents as mere conveniences: someone to get them food and toys and provide a home. The idea that a child would look upon their mother and father with fondness and love seems alien to him.

I know a lot of people will criticize me here, and point out that Trevor and Diane were bad parents and Kevin is better off without them. This is true. However, that's Kevin and his parents. That is not every family. And besides, if Gilliam had left it at just criticizing Trevor and Diane's bad parenting, I could forgive his statements on the commentary. However, Gilliam seems to take this a step further and essentially seems to be critical of parenthood in general and acts as though he thinks all kids should be free to govern themselves however they wish without any constraints or rules.

It's fine (if somewhat annoying) to use this within the context of a story - God knows there's a lot of movies where adults are useless and kids do everything - but Gilliam honestly seems to believe this in real life. There's being a kid at heart, and then there's being sentimentally myopic to the harsh realities of life. I dunno. Maybe I'm wrong. But what Gilliam said sure rubbed me the wrong way. Which is odd since I don't actually have children, nor do I plan to. But I did love my parents very dearly and so I take offense at Gilliam's apparent belief that I never needed them beyond the basics.

Please don't get me wrong, I love the movie, love Terry Gilliam, and I loved the audio commentary... up until the end. What Gilliam had to say about parenthood just made me think he's a bit naive.

"I mean, really, how many times will you look under Jabba's manboobs?"