MovieChat Forums > Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story (1987) Discussion > What does Haynes think of the Carpenters...

What does Haynes think of the Carpenters?

posted 15 years ago by vimoxyclean
6 replies | jump to latest

Honestly, does anyone know if he likes them or not?
From the way some of the film is written, it seems kind of like he was kind of sarcastic with some "praise" in the movie-- such as "smooth voice girl leading people smoothly into the 70s".

Then again, he might just have a gay-sort-of-opinion and like the Carpenters so much as to sound kind of phony when praising them.

(Although I hate the Carpenters with a fiery passion, I really like this film. (Wow! A gay guy who doesn't like middle of the road music, strange, huh?))

[–] desperateliving 15 years ago

I'm not sure whether or not he likes them, but I would assume he must. Why would you make something about a subject you hate? I have to disagree with The Carpenters as being "middle of the road." Like ABBA, I think The Carpenters are almost experimental -- I would associate the emotional extremities of The Carpenters and ABBA with Diamanda Galas and Xiu Xiu before I would with, say, Coldplay or Nickelback.

[–] WarpedRecord 13 years ago

In the '70s, the Carpenters were very much considered middle of the road. It was considered music safe for children, their parents and grandparents as well. Even Richard Nixon and Bob Hope liked them.

But pop culture has taken many detours since then and, especially with Karen Carpenter's death, their impact is better understood and respected. A lot of this is reading between the lines, though: Seeing Karen's lyrics as a cry for help. Though I love the band, I don't think "middle of the road" is inaccurate, but it doesn't do them justice.

I don't think many people would call them "experimental," but certainly they were more musically daring at the time (and continue to sound that way in these times) than Coldplay or Nickelback are today.

Could you pick any more predictable bands for comparison? Creed, anyone?

As for whether Todd Haynes is a fan, I would suspect so based on the strength of this film, but I have not heard him address this. When I first heard about this documentary, I thought he was mocking them, but now that I've seen this, I think he has a deep appreciation and understanding of them.

[–] 13 years ago

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[–] GrigoryGirl 13 years ago

I couldn't tell whether Haynes liked the Carpenters and was sympathetic to Karen's plight, or it was a sick joke to him.

There's a hint of detachment in the film, so it might have been the latter.

I like the Carpenters' music for the record. I love great pop songs, and they did it very well.

[–] TheHungryAndAngryShow 8 years ago

I personally LOVE The carpenters, am sympathetic to Karen's plight, AND can make sick jokes about it as well. Some of us do not just cry or laugh, we cry AND laugh, as life is a ridiculous joke and we are all the victims of it.

[–] 8 years ago

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