7.0??? This movie is an absolute classic, and for it's time, it was pretty original. Just a well made and well acted comedy. Should be a 7.5 or so at least.
I can see why you're perplexed. It's a fun, stylish movie, a leading example of good escapist summer fare, but there's some room for disagreement where substance is concerned. It all depends how seriously you want to take it.
Some thoughtful moviegoers, I have no idea how many, may have been uneasy with the alien = scum theme. No matter how tongue-in-cheek, it does have resonance. Think of Arizona's stringent immigration bill which sanctions racial profiling. Now recall the narrative in MiB, which involves the purging of marked-by-scum bodies from the nation. Aliens (earthly and extraterrestrial) are coded by the (racist) language of pollution. They are impure, dangerous and even revolting. The darkness of Mexicans -- visually emphasized via rags, sweat and actual dirt as unclean and uncivilized is associated with the slimy bodies of creatures and carries a symbolic weight.
One may be justified in wondering if the sort of apartheid of difference evoked by this movie is really responsible filmmaking, considering the climate of opinion back when the film was made and on into the present day.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2010/06/01/2010-06-01_poll_mo re_americans_want_arizonastyle_antiillegal_immigration_law_for_their_s tat.html
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kaykuta
14 years ago
uh........what? I hardy think the people who gave it low ratings were had Mexicans on their mind.
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