Scene in Indiana bar

This scene is confirmation that Hollywood types have no conception of what life is actually like in fly-over country, nor do they understand the people who populate it. Throughout this movie the screenplay insulted a wide swath of the midwest and plains but this scene was undoubtedly the capper.

When our three heroes walk into the bar (to use the bathroom) everyone, and I mean each and every last person in the bar, is staring silently at some talent-based reality show, only to break out in rapturous cheers when the winner is announced. I expected it to then be revealed that the winner was a local, perhaps even a regular at that particular bar, but no, it turns out that these hayseeds were actually that enraptured by a brain-dead talent show. Later, when Colee sidles up to a group of women, they're annoyed with her because she's interrupting their viewing of the same show. What?? People may watch TV in a corner gin joint when there's nobody else around, but in a boisterous club like that no one watches TV -- unless you're trying to depict those people as pathetic rubes.

And then they start in with mocking and bullying Colee. I'm sorry, but that level of rudeness was entirely unrealistic. I live in a crummy Great Lakes, rust-belt town and I can tell you I've never heard anyone get on their high horse about whatever bit of happenstance caused them to be born in these parts. Maybe in L.A. or N.Y City people brag about their address but it sure doesn't happen that way in the rest of the country. Perhaps you'll hear pride expressed in the good things that people do, but never the blanket, unwarrented arrogance depicted here. As for the girls completely shunning her and then physically mocking her, I call foul. Yes, there are rude and insensitive people everywhere but to be that aggressively rude was ridiculous. They may have sent signals that she was unwelcome but in no way would someone immediately begin mocking someone's affliction like that.

I wish I could have expected something better from a Tim Robbins movie.