In our house, we seldom watch network TV, at least not live. We watch a lot of movies–usually old ones, that we can watch for free, or get from Netflix. We enjoy discussing them later, and I may post some of our thoughts from time to time.
Last night we watched “The Italian Job” (2003 version) with our son. My husband found a place to buy DVDs for $1, and he got a ton. I picked this out to watch as something that probably wasn’t great art, but would be unobjectionable to watch with your (grown) kid. As a review (or spoiler), Mark Wahlberg leads a bunch of guys on a heist, and then gets double-crossed by Ed Norton. He approaches Charlize Theron for help in getting revenge on his betrayer.
This morning, we talked about the movie, and how Ed Norton really was one of the more interesting characters in the movie. My husband had really liked Mark Wahlberg’s performance in another movie we saw recently, but wasn’t as impressed here. I thought about this some more as I got ready for work in the morning, and I realized that though Wahlberg was the headliner on the movie, the true protagonist of the story is Charlize Theron.
Looking at the story through her character, you see this right away: the forgotten child, working in her father’s field. She is called on to avenge her father, takes a journey, grows and changes (you might argue about whether it is for the better). The movie even ends with her landing the last blow on the villain.
However, if you look at the synopsis, or just look at the posters, it sure looks like a man’s story. I wonder if it took 15 years for me to grow up enough to see it, or if some of the discussion these days about representation (or over-representation of white males) made me more sensitive to this.
Since I also plan to write about money here, my husband and I talked a little also about the Ed Norton character. We both agree that he makes a great case for money not making him happier; you could argue that ending up with a ton of money made his character less happy in this movie. He spends all his time anxious about betrayal, and doesn’t look like he’s really enjoying his money all that much. He mostly watches a big television, which even in 2003, wasn’t that expensive. I would say he’s failed at early retirement.
My verdict: OK to watch again, but I’m fine if that DVD doesn’t stay with us.
Opinions ? Thoughts?