MovieChat Forums > Rules of Engagement (2007) Discussion > What a miserable group of friends.

What a miserable group of friends.

posted 8 years ago by movieliker1
28 replies | jump to latest

All they do is sit around the diner (usually) and make fun of each other, criticize and ridicule each other. I have lots of friends. None of them act like this. They are my friends because they are positive, appreciative, optimistic and enthusiastic. That is exactly opposite of the way these losers act. How miserable !!!

Audrey and Jeff spend most of their time --- alone and with others --- making fun of each other, complaining about each other's characteristics or ridiculing each other behind each other's backs or to each other's faces.

Jennifer likes Adam because she thinks his borderline mental retardation is "cute".

Russel is a incurable pervert who can't respect women and couldn't have a healthy relationship if his life depended on it.

Timmy is effeminate sissy who spends all his time allowing Russel to abuse him, has no friends and rarely has a girlfriend.

What an impressive group of people.

[–] Sam_Fisher_Agent_47 8 years ago

Have you not heard of friendly banter? That's what this is. I have heaps of friends and we do this for fun... because we can take a joke.

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[–] movieliker1 8 years ago

Yes, of course I have heard of friendly banter. And my friends and I do it sometimes. But we don't do it all the time.

Most of the time we behave in a healthy way --- being loving, interested and supportive. Unlike these idiots on "Rules of Engagement". I would hate these people and their company in real life. I would probably roll my eyes and stay away from them because it wouldn't be pleasant or uplifting to be around them. I get tired of watching this show because they are constantly so negative, critical and ridiculing of each other. (And sometimes downright hateful.)

[–] Sam_Fisher_Agent_47 8 years ago

Name me one time when someone was downright hateful to someone else?

_________________________________
Steven Seagal Fan Club President

[–] movieliker1 8 years ago

I don't know. I don't really watch this show anymore. But I remember Russel doing things to Timmy that I thought and felt were hateful.

[–] Sam_Fisher_Agent_47 8 years ago

He always made Timmy run annoying little errands for him, yes, but nothing would suggest it was hatred.

_________________________________
Steven Seagal Fan Club President

[–] movieliker1 8 years ago

Post deleted by the poster

[–] forumulaa 8 years ago

Are you serious? Just a brief summary, the stuff Russell does to Timmy is downright inhumane and sometimes illegal. Crashing and ruining important meetings and events, stealing his dates, almost getting him deported on the airplane episode. Not to mention, the steady stream of downright racist comments insulting his ethnicity and just about everything else.

Jeff and Russell forgetting to throw Adam a bachelor party, not wanting to be his best man. Jeff barely caring about Audrey, or even their anniversary. And I quote, "lose the battle nut win the war, my marriage"

[–] Sam_Fisher_Agent_47 8 years ago

And it all comes back to bite Russell in the butt, which makes it all the more funny.

Jeff loves Audrey, and this is shown on many occasions. Remember the anniversary when he tries to make a grand gesture?

As for Adam, they didn't forget to throw him a Bachelor party. In fact if memory serves me correct, they threw it for him on train when it broke down on the way to the actual party.

_________________________________
Steven Seagal Fan Club President

[–] forumulaa 8 years ago

They didn't really care about throwing him a party, infact they were making plans to go to the movies without him. It only happened because Jen forced them to.

As for Jeff making grand gestures, a few grand gestures don't, in my opinion, make up for a lifetime of in general not giving a sh*t about your wife. He may love her, but he certainly doesn't like her.

Similar argument for Russell. In general, friendly banter is great, even degrading humor is good sometimes, but characters were not really likeable in ROE.

[–] PaulWard27 8 years ago

It's a sitcom. If they simply sat in the diner having pleasant yet mundane conversation, there would be no show. Not a comedy anyway.

[–] movieliker1 8 years ago

It's a sitcom. If they simply sat in the diner having pleasant yet mundane conversation, there would be no show. Not a comedy anyway.

I disagree. That seems like a position that shows no imagination. There are more ways to be funny than just being critical and ridiculing. Besides, there constant criticism and ridicule is not funny. It is annoying, stupid, childish and crude.

Also, a good comedy doesn't just want to be funny. It wants to create characters who the audience can identify with and care about. It is hard to identify and care about characters who behave in a way that no one in real life would want to associate with.

[–] mackay-aa 8 years ago

Not all comedies need to be that thought out. This is just some light hearted fun. Obviously not every show is for everyone but it seems like maybe you're trying to hard to find an intelligent argument against what is clearly not meant to be an intellectual show.

[–] forumulaa 8 years ago

Couldn't have put it better myself. You have friendly banter in all sitcoms, I mean they are build around FRIENDS having FUN together. But at the end of the day, you know that they are friends who really do care about each other. Humor is great as long as it doesn't take away substance from the characters. HIMYM and friends were very careful in this regard. ROE, on the other hand...

Although, makay-aa has a good point too.

[–] nuhor_lir_gurenna 8 years ago

I have a feeling you are a woman ......

A cynic is what an idealist calls a realist - Sir Humphrey Appleby

[–] movieliker1 8 years ago

No, I am a man.

[–] nuhor_lir_gurenna 8 years ago

Really? Because most male friendships are built on making fun of each other.

A cynic is what an idealist calls a realist - Sir Humphrey Appleby

[–] movieliker1 8 years ago

Not mine. My male friendships are based on mutual respect and support. Are you male or female?

[–] nuhor_lir_gurenna 8 years ago

Clearly I am a guy.

My male friendships are based on mutual respect and support.

That is so gay. I am sorry, that just came out.

But that does not sound like friendship, it is more of a support group.

A cynic is what an idealist calls a realist - Sir Humphrey Appleby

[–] movieliker1 8 years ago

I have had friends like what you are describing. But I found them immature and stupid. And their lives bared that out.

My real friends are winners professionally and socially. Our relationships are much healthier than the childish kidding of "normal guys".

If you are happy being a "normal guy" I am happy for you. But I don't believe you and I would ever be close friends.

[–] nuhor_lir_gurenna 8 years ago

That sounds more and more like formal socializing. Friends should be able to have beers and just be themselves, be childish if they want to.

I sense you are starting to have this "I am superior" attitude. Just be aware I retired few years ago when I reached 40 because I was paying way too much taxes, and still am. How many of you can say that?

A cynic is what an idealist calls a realist - Sir Humphrey Appleby

[–] movieliker1 8 years ago

I retired at 40 also. What a coincidence. I retired because I had made enough to not work anymore.

My friends and I tease and make fun of each other also. We just don't do it constantly like the characters on Rules of Engagement.

[–] nuhor_lir_gurenna 8 years ago

I retired because I had made enough to not work anymore.

Same here. I have to structure my investments to avoid top marginal tax even after retirement.

My friends and I tease and make fun of each other also.

There you go. Don't sound like a stick in the mud.

We just don't do it constantly like the characters on Rules of Engagement.

Well, that is a show, so it wound be a bit exaggerated.

A cynic is what an idealist calls a realist - Sir Humphrey Appleby

[–] movieliker1 8 years ago

Same here. I have to structure my investments to avoid top marginal tax even after retirement.

I have never found sound money management hard. I was taught, "It is not what you make. It is what you save." I just put savings at the top of my financial objectives, spent less than I made and put the rest in savings.

Well, that is a show, so it wound be a bit exaggerated.

As I said in an earlier post, good writing would have the characters be more "wholesome". It seems to me like bowing to the lowest denomination to have the characters on this show be so juvenile. On the other hand, me being 57, I have to constantly remind myself that I am not their target audience.

[–] nuhor_lir_gurenna 8 years ago

I just put savings at the top of my financial objectives, spent less than I made and put the rest in savings.

Same here. I lived way below my means. It is so much in my habits I even have to make an effort to spend at least 40% of my income after retirement.

It looks like if we knew each other we might have been friends if you learned to lighten up a bit.

A cynic is what an idealist calls a realist - Sir Humphrey Appleby

[–] movieliker1 8 years ago

It looks like if we knew each other we might have been friends if you learned to lighten up a bit.

I am sure we could. Believe it or not, I am friends with most people. But some are closer than others.

[–] 8 years ago

[deleted]

[–] movieliker1 8 years ago

Right, it is a good show. One just can't take it too seriously. The criticisms I have posted on this message board are just observations. But, it is funny if seen in the right light.

[–] nikegolfclubs 8 years ago

If you can't make fun of your friends then they aren't your friends