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This film made absolutely no sense whatsoever. No bearing on reality

posted 12 years ago by joey-tribbiani
12 replies | jump to latest

SPOILERS

SPOILERS

So apparently this guy is doing a doctoral dissertation that he can't finish. Not uncommon at all. This happens but apparently in this guy's case... it is common and they're going to cut his funding. The fact some people fund their doctoral dissertation too doesn't hit it home either. Then he must finish it to become an assistant professor - why then? Why not later on after he has done a good job on his dissertation.

Onto the dissertation. It sounds good. It's a well written dissertation on an interesting topic. But no... oh no... he doesn't want to finish it because he has an epiphany to tell people he is only there because of his Father? Yeah... so what? How is this relevant? He spends his whole life on this dissertation which he appears to enjoy but what he learns from the temptation is to be tempted? This means he is not going to complete his dissertation defense?

All these factors were placed into the film to make a "you go man, you go" moment where the audience is cheering for him. I was personally thinking, don't be a douche and sit the dissertation, get your doctoral degree like any sane person would and then make decisions for the future of your life.

Or here's a clue... here's an interesting and rationale outlook on life - why not get your doctoral work and tenure and do what you like in life. That seems to tick all the boxes, you stay with your friends, hang with the girl, stay with the family - logical.

Some people would say but oh no... the film is about opening your eyes to the world and getting to do what you want and be who you like. Well cool but why does that mean it's a logical and rational story if you drop everything in your life to move on and do nothing in particular? He likes trivia - cool - do it? No... he wants to completely change. He has a girlfriend who would have sex with him but then suddenly changes her mind and they don't fight for it either? Obviously these were all sub-plots put in to say his Father was this great professor who controlled his life but for crying out loud he could have easily have tweaked his new life and we would have also learned that he had developed through the process of this challenge and the challenges in life.

Why it ended like it is, is bizarre. Maybe through market research, getting on a bus to nowhere appealed to more people.

I enjoyed the comedy. The characters were nice. The story in the most part was interesting. The characterisation could have developed some more and we could have used more characters in the film too. A bit of a let down for a story set in the world of pubs and University that could have been so much more better.

[–] dr_tomz 12 years ago

seriously, I still hvnt quite figured out why I'd downloaded this junk of a muvi!! Its so annoying, the whole of it, to d point that I rued the fact that the dumb casting directors didn't at least cast a good looking Lead Hero, so that people like me cud've found sum solace in watching him... It cud've been d saving grace for this crap... Ach! Disgusting...

[–] joey-tribbiani 12 years ago

Huge let down. So much promise, so much potential but they really just wanted to do the most stupid thing possible. Why? I have no idea. Being a complete idiot seemed to be the end of it all.

Such an unrealistic world to set it in. Everybody was behaving so oddly throughout the film. Real people don't behave like that and this has nothing to do with the film. There has to be some relevance to reality - I am sure a lot of them would be wondering... "why is he doing that? It makes no sense!".

[–] plazbo 12 years ago

Apart from his hair (style didn't suit), the lead was attractive so I don't understand where you're coming from.

[–] MeowOinkMoo 9 years ago

What language is that? People usually use English on this site.

[–] dr_tomz 9 years ago

well, then... you surely need to get an appointment with your Ophthalmologist soon, coz' surely, your eyesight's failing you.

[–] alison-desmond 12 years ago

SPOILERS

I largely agree with joey-tribbiani, except about the characters.

I dislike the characters, especially Paul - a guy in his mid- to late-20s studying The Bible and philosophy at an advanced level who's never questioned his own life until now (wtf)?! I'm unable to sympathise, whatever he chooses will suck - if he takes the assistant professorship he will owe it to his father's influence, but clearly in the past this unfair advantage has never stopped him - on the other hand, the choice he does make is that of a spoiled brat unappreciative of his opportunities. Paul works for years writing his dissertation then throws it away to spite his father, or to prove something to himself(?). Is his passive-agressive performance at the dissertation defence supposed to be courageous? Some of us less-privileged may view this as wasteful. Paul, from the beginning of the film, is irredeemable, living as a bore, mindlessly following his father's lead, then deciding that simply behaving irresponsibly and wilfully screwing-up is the only way to effect change. I just couldn't care either way.

Paul's relationship with Naomi is totally inappropriate and in the real world would be viewed as a serious abuse of his position - the reasons she later gives for not wanting to pursue it are the very reasons that he, as her teacher, should have refrained from dating her from the beginning. Also, she's a smart girl playing dumb - letting him win at trivia is truly pathetic!

Not humourous, and with possibly the weakest lead character of all time.

[–] emperormsoft2 12 years ago

Maybe it will help you guys get over your frustrations if someone pointed it out; One starts really living his life when he figures out who he is; that revelation ;) makes everything that came before that moment, which isn't part of the new life view, as a waste and not worth pursuing. So you might be happy with being someone -having a title, and you might really think that you accepted societies definitions of what is worthwhile doing with the 80+ years you get to live on your own, but .. what if you are more then that?
And now just for joey: life is not logical and everyone has his own definition for what sane is; sane, as a synonym for normal, is just a statistical observation that enables those that cannot have their world view questioned marginalize other people; even the insane sees himself as sane and the world as insane.

[–] joey-tribbiani 12 years ago

mate...

Catching a coach ride to nowhere is a cliched american dream motivation. I am old enough to realise that the true nature of life is not in as you have described

pub philosophies

(not pun on the film there)

The execution for what they wanted this guy to do was laughable. The assumption that hey man, you were wrong, University is wrong, your studies are wrong, you just need to a catch a coach to somewhere because hail Mary, Jesus and God you have found yourself Hallelujah - you have found yourself!!

I think the character was living quite happily. The assumption he was a "bad teacher" matters for nothing. So what... he was bad... he was teaching though, wasn't he. He was accomplishing and doing something and we had moments where we saw good teaching.

Overall... the film made no sense whatsoever. Yes... a man "finds himself" but life is very cruel and that important factor related to the accomplishments the characters strive for in this film, is not cured with a coach ride.

....

As for your views on sanity - postmodernism may give you a place when examining artistic endeavours with what you said but the film is modernist at best.

[–] emperormsoft2 12 years ago

with age people get more and more rooted in their beliefs, that's one of the motives why using age or a greater "life experience" , which is again hard to quantify, to enforce an argument is a fallacy, as it results from anecdotal evidence ; i defined life as illogical, and i see the evolution of emotions as a powerful argument for it : the rational laws at the base of all that is material where not enough for life to exist after it's appearance, so emotions had to be added to the mix. The ending is a pretty old and overused american cliche, but what that expresses is still correct: a drastic change in a persons system of beliefs and values do make him act as a different person ;) which just started life's journey. You take the movie to literal, everything that he owned and had done is still a part of him the coach ride is the continuation of him taking risks and going out of his comfort zone; nothing says that he will not return but without at least "seeing" what's pass the "corner" you cannot argue that 1 - he appreciated what he had, in case he returns and 2 - what he finds is less rewarding for him then what he had in his natal town. So no, there are no such assumptions, from what i can tell, in the movie; coach ride = expend ones horizons and not that everything else was false.

"the character was living quite happily" - one of the explanations i read archaeologist gave for the appearance of rupestral drawings was nostalgia, prehistoric people while transitioning from small hunting groups to larger more sedentary tribes were nostalgic in reference to their "old ways"; but that feeling didn't made them go back to a more simple life, it was just a longing for the kind of happiness that only ignorance brings.

Those accomplishments weren't made "consciously" which made it easy for him to "abandon" them, he can always return to them, not so much to that particular job but easily to the career. As there was always a plan made for him but not by him he didn't really had to feel what making decisions feels like; so he was shielded by many cruelties by having a good life, but at which he was in the tribunes and not on the field.

If you didn't like the way i was infusing relativity in the meaning of "sane" i will try another path: sane is defined by not having diseases; so not having diseases makes one sane, but not healthy. And now in relation with people, baths and washing in general was believed, for a short period, to be harmful for the body which would make people that washed them self to be considered insane. And for this to be a circular comment : you saying that sane people would finish the degree and then make life decisions is also based on anecdotal evidence.

[–] joey-tribbiani 12 years ago

I disagree. I think the basis of the film can be enveloped in the paramaters of "breaking free", "sticking it to the man" and similar cliched metaphors.

All of which are at loggerheads to the characters he is interacting with.

[–] TheDelusionist 12 years ago

I agree. Also from a theological point of view, the movie didn't make any sense. They completely missed the point on Adam and Eve. Very messy.

Don't you get it? Love conqeurs all!

[–] reaseltbim 10 years ago

Paul reminded me a lot, A LOT of the bad guy in the movie Old School played by Jeremy Piven

This felt like a prequel to OLD SCHOOL where they just follow how the Jeremy Piven became the way he was. I totally got that vibe from the lead in this crap.

I could see him failing miserably at whatever he went out to do and then coming back and just working on the university being bitter and pissed off that life didn't work out the way he wanted it to because he threw it all away to do some meaningless and idiotic Bar Trivia contest...

So then some years pass and then Old School starts off And Paul is bitter and fun hating because the girl from this movie blew him off.

Seriously were we supposed to Root AGAINST the leads?