Do conservatives like this movie? - The Messenger (2009) Discussion

[–] fnj2002 13 years ago

I really don't know what a conservative IS, and I doubt anyone could define it, but I'm pretty sure I do know who you are talking to, and I can tell you one who was very impressed with this movie - me. There is no reason for anyone, no matter what their politics, to disdain it. It is very thoughtful, unafraid, and not at all simplistic, and I appreciate it and rate it very highly.

As different as The Messenger is from Taking Chance, I consider them both equally excellent and touching.

What I do have a problem with is the term "anti-war." It implies that there is a position which is "pro-war." This is beyond simplistic. It is possible to believe that a given war is justified, or worth winning, without being in love with the concept of war. In fact, practically no one is in love with the concept of war, and that emphatically includes those who fight in wars.

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[–] eoval 13 years ago

I came on this board specifically to see if this topic existed; happily it did. I am a conservative and I loved this movie: for clarification I am a fiscal and foreign policy guy (more libertarian on most social issues...) To me this movie spoke to the horrors a soldier has to deal with more than anything else. I didn't take this film as anti-war in any sense - it seemed more to deal with the realities of war. Final note, I completely support the objectives of our current operations abroad, in fact my brother-in-law is in Iraq as we speak training Iraqi soldiers in advance of the draw down sure to come.
(Bragging a bit here - he's an Army Special Forces Combat Medic, which started as just an ROTC bit to help pay for DU Law School. Proud to be related to such a guy lol)

Only demons should fear me...
You're not a demon, are you?

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[–] downder55 13 years ago

whats really special about this movie is that both sides of the political sphere, conservative and liberal, can connect to this movie. I for one am independent and have no absolute political scope, but when viewing this film, I found it could connect to a variety of people. There are anti-war/military sentiments in the film, depending how you look at the movie, but I believe the movie runs deeper than that. The movie, imo, primarily emphasizes the necessity of empathy, and or the lack of empathy for those of war related tragedy. Each of the main characters endure a form of depression and retreat to solitude, but only truly overcome when experiencing empathy from each other.

Sorry, I needed to let this out. I watched it last week and loved it. It may not have the strongest plot, but the acting and directing of the movie was excellent.

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[–] eoval 13 years ago

Perfectly spoken

Liberals think conservatives are evil;
Conservatives think liberals are stupid...

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[–] chicago85 13 years ago

Both Conservatives and liberals liked Patton with George C. Scott. It was a good movie and they saw in it what they wanted to see. Maybe the same applies here.

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[–] hoplite10 12 years ago

First of all, I consider myself conservative and I loved the movie. Of course, I'm also in the Army, and I think this movie was very respectful towards the military, and most people in the military are also conservative. Second, I don't know why you would assume that if someone is conservative, then they must love war. People who are labelled "pro-war" tend to get stereotyped as people who genuinely love the idea of going to war and killing things. This is not the same thing as people who believe that, as terrible as it is, there are times when war is necessary. If you scour the ranks of the military, you will find that most service members do not love war either; it puts their lives in danger, separates them from their families, and puts them through countless physical and mental hardship. Any service member who genuinely "loves" war is probably a sociopath, because no normal person would enjoy killing other people regardless of who they are. I'm proud to serve my country in the military, but I also hate war -- I hate the fact that wars are necessary. But because they ARE necessary sometimes, I will do my duty.

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[–] 12 years ago

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[–] thefallenaj 12 years ago

Real conservatives are non-interventionist. Neocons probably don't like this movie.

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[–] Dantes-Inferno 12 years ago

I consider myself more conservative than liberal, and I love this movie, though I don't consider it really "anti-war". I see it as a horribly realistic side-effect to war. That being said, I don't consider myself, or any conservative I know, "pro-war". I believe justifiable reasons exist for war, but that doesn't mean I like it.

There’s an eleven foot woman at the door with a chainsaw.

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[–] Katz5 11 years ago

As another poster said, both Dems and Traditional Conservatives will find much to like about this movie. It is absolutely neutral.

The rah rah George W. Bush/Dick Cheney/Donald Rumsfeld supporters as well as Neocons would not like the movie. To them, the troops were pawns in their attempt to reconfigure the entire Middle East. Who can forget the law passed by the GWB Administration that banned photography at Dover AFB of caskets returning from Iraq? The war must not be in the living rooms of Americans. It's a giant game of Risk, after all, and photographs would just depress the American public.

And who could forget Cheney's response when advised of the number of troop deaths in Iraq? "So?"

And who could forget Donald Rumsfeld's speech when confronted by the troops about lack of military supplies? "You go to war with the military you have."

If anything, this movie made me even angrier at the previous administration. Something I didn't think was possible....

This calls for a celebration. I'll get some donuts.

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[–] 11 years ago

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