MovieChat Forums > Laws of Attraction (2004) Discussion > STEREOTYPICAL IRELAND

STEREOTYPICAL IRELAND

posted 19 years ago by jackelkarl
40 replies | jump to latest

ok now ive had it
as an irishman this backward stereotype that ireland seems to have with the rest of the world is as outdated as the heating system in the castle the 2 characters happened to visit.
lets start with the hiring of a car, she goes to a backward town to hire a car??? when there are about 10 to 15 companies you can hire a car from in dublin aiport, nonsence , the renault van pierce brosnans character borrowed would not be allowed onto the road due to the DOE van testing we have here and that would go for the bus that julianne moore got off.
now the "quiet man" type people of ireland portrayed in the film is an ireland of the past, dont get me wrong the quiet man is a classic but portraying nowaday ireland in the same light is nonsense
Ireland has one of the fastest growing economies in the world and is for the lack of a better term flush with money.
The irish characters in this film just insult my intelligence as this film doesnt represent me as a irish person in anyway whatsoever.
and the last thing about this mess , towns in ireland DONT take thursdays off, they work from monday to friday and they work damn bloody hard and have for a long time now!!! and the result of this is the prosperity we enjoy in this country today.
the commitments is one film that portrayed ireland perfectly at the time but even that now is outdated
i only hope soon that a film is made in ireland portraying the ireland of today so as to balance up some of the bull that has been made here

thank you

[–] redeye_215 19 years ago

I know what you mean. I am surprised that Pierce Brosnan would be involved in portraying his homeland so sterotypically (sp?) but I guess that is maybe because it is aimed at an American audience. If you wanna see a great show about modern Ireland watch Any Time Now (RTE, BBC NI). It was on about 6 months ago about 3 women in Dublin coping with modern life and love. it was so refreshing to see an ireland that wasn't stereotypical.

[–] im_an_orb 19 years ago

oh stop crying! it's just a lighthearted movie that is fun and enjoyable.. must you analyse every single bit?

"The finalised alligning of objects, cease to rest my mind."

[–] jimmyjimjojo 19 years ago

i agree with you im an orb!!
i'm irish myself and in small villages they do crazy stuff like matchmaking festivals. it's not totally a stereotype!

[–] siobanphotogirl 14 years ago

If you're not Irish, you can't understand how frustrating it is to see your people portrayed negatively in movies over and over and over again.

[–] pammcqueen 19 years ago

oh begorrah and bejaysus but I'd have to say now that Mr. jackelkarl - good man you are- is right so he is so he is!

Not since the bad old days of Finians Rainbow have I seen such appalling representation of Ireland and Mr. Brosnan should know better.For the record no self respecting Irish man or woman would accept a leprechaun statue as a competition prize and definitely would not waste good beer by swilling 3 pints in 2 seconds flat.

They did get one thing right, the wicklow hills with the Sugarloaf in the background are as beautiful as in the film.

[–] thepsychomaniac 19 years ago

Isn't it supposed to be set in Clare though?
Isn't it interesting the way they walked all the way out of Dublin to the middle-of-nowhere, and *then* decided to hire a car. And the accent of that man?!?! I was so embarrassed when I saw this film and insulted that anyone could possibly portray a respectable, quite wealthy country in that light. Does no one these days have any respect for anyone else? And do *not* get me started on the 'poo' drink. It's illegal for-God's-sake, and if not brewed properly can cause brain damage.
Frankly, this whole film was ruined for me because the people in charge of this film were so petty and childish that they could not bother to write a script that did not insult an entire country.

[–] filmfan90 18 years ago

Geez...the movie tanked at the box office, and hardly anyone cared about it when it came out on DVD. Even if the movie did get tons of exposure, it is just a lighthearted comedy. Pierce Brosnan was just trying to have a little fun with his homeland. I am sure there are movies out there that do not potray the United States in such a flattering light.

[–] Mylobage 18 years ago

I think ever one on imdb is stupid there is nothing wrong with sterotypeing something, Ireland once was like that there for, there is no lie.I can't believe that people still get hung up on sterotypes it was for a goof grow up.

[–] siobanphotogirl 14 years ago

can you name a movie that paints the United States in a negative light? probably not, or you would have in your post...and why? ...because Hollywood makes the most viewed movies in the world, and they would never make a film that does not flatter Americans.

[–] qpw3141 12 years ago

You may be correct, but it certainly depicts groups of Americans in various poor lights.

Hicks, rednecks, lawyers, religious nuts, the military, the CIA, ... the list is endless.

[–] rem483-1 18 years ago

Chill...it's a movie. And the people in Ireland who make money from films sure didn't mind.

[–] 18 years ago

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[–] skeeterchicakb83 18 years ago

I didn't think that this was such a stereotypical thing when I first saw it, and I still don't totally agree with you on that point - but I do think that some of the things you said are true (and you are correct in making John Ford's "The Quiet Man" out to be an excellent movie). You would also know about the illegality of certain things that Americans don't (I'm talking about the cars used in the film).

However, I DO think that this film was intended more as an homage to the traditional Irish way of life and not as an insult to it. Certainly Juilanne Moore's character could have gotten a car at the airport, but with her independence, she may have wanted to get a more 'rustic' feel. I don't know.But that is part of the humor of it. I know that many countries around the world still have small villages like the one portrayed in this film, and I'm certain that small festivals like that go on. But I must say that I think that much of the movie is meant as a lighthearted comdedy - and everything in it should be taken that way.

[–] 18 years ago

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[–] BraziliAna 18 years ago

I don't think this film intended to portrait the prosperous Ireland we all know exist. Their difficulty in hiring a car, then driving an old car was supposed to be funny only. If, let us say, it was a Bond movie, Pierce Brosnan/Julianne Moore would definitely have hired a car at Dublin airport, but it's not the case here. No to mention that I doubt it very much that people will actually believe a serious company don't work for a full day from Monday to Friday in Ireland or anywhere else in the world.

[–] shibbydad 18 years ago

Why is everyone so sensitive. I dont remember everyone in Oregon complaining about the locals being made out to be country bumpkins in Overboard or any other movie that shows a location in a less than desirable light. Not everyone in New York gets mugged and not everyone in California surfs. It is a funny and entertaining movie, lighten up everyone.

[–] mikeyg24 18 years ago

I enjoyed the movie but must admit I did throw my eyes to heaven when I saw the afore mentioned aspects. It does seem like Ireland is CONSTANTLY portrayed like this. About five years ago I met some Americans who expected to see donkey carts on the roads although that just made them retarded. And it's not being overly sensitive we just wish the moviemaking world would give us a little bit of credit.

[–] 18 years ago

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[–] mikeyg24 18 years ago

I wonder, another American retard that expects to see donkeys and carts on the road hmmm? Just cos the world and his dog hates your country don't take it out on us. And if you do live in Ireland and you dislike it so much then why not bog off somewhere else and leave us to our big babyness.

[–] siobanphotogirl 14 years ago

it does not surprise me that people would come over from America after seeing Ireland portrayed as amish country, expecting the same thing in real life...

there are a lot of stupid people in the world who think that Ireland is as it is portrayed on the big screen.

the movie making world (U.S.A in general!)does need to bone up on its knowledge of other countries... including one of its closest neighbors Canada. We Canadians don't mind feeling more intelligent than Americans but we are sick of the lack of knowledge about Canada... coming up from the states, and expecting to need a parka (very thick winter coat!!!!) as soon as you cross the border into "The Great White North".... in *beep* JULY!!!!!! (April, May, June, August, September, October as well)

[–] Sherazade 18 years ago

Never trust Hollywood for an accurate portrayal of any country or its people. Everybody knows that.

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[–] gettybug603 18 years ago

Well, I'm an American, and I don't think Ireland is primative. I have seen Ireland filmed in a good light, too. I have always been quite curious about Ireland, becuase of it's beauty, and the fact that my grandmother was Irish, and her family settled in Pennsylvania. My ancestors, which were her ancestors, reside there, with you.

As for stereotypes.... try this one on for size. I live in South Louisiana, in Cajun country, and when I tell you the stuff that people come here looking for! They expect to see aligators in our front yards, chained up like dogs, and pirogues floating down the bayou. They expect to see people actually living in the swamps, and they expect to see Voodoo queens all over this region. Most of this is thanks to the movies "Waterboy", "Eve's Bayou", "Belezaire the Cajun", "The Skeleton Key", and many others, the list goes on and on.... I used to wait tables at this truckstop years ago, and these drivers would come in from God knows where, and ask, "Are you a Cajun gal?" and I would say, "yes, partly" and they would say, "Like the Waterboy?", and I would get soooo mad... It would bother me alot.

Hollywood portrays us as being the most ignorant, retarded, imbred group of people in America, worse than the Irish, I'm afraid. Ireland is portrayed as being an unevolved, old country civilization, but at least people don't think you are all retarded, imbred people who live in swamps and keep gators for pets. So, you see, you are not the only ones who have to deal with stereotypes. I used to get insulted by all this stereotyping, but now, I just brush it off, and laugh at it, because who are you really hurting by getting upset about it, huh? Not the big rich movie makers in Hollywood... All these movies are made to entertain, nothing else. So, some people think we're stupid, SO WHAT.... I know I'm not stupid, I am well educated, I am not imbred, I am not ignorant... Who the hell cares what anyone thinks of us. I don't. Not anymore.

Food for Thought...

[–] emeraldstar85 12 years ago

*inbred