Comments

1
Oh, my GOD! They're WHITE?! Horrors!
2

"White babies dying are not a problem."

3
Wait, are we supposed to care about what race someone is, or not? I am now confused.
4
By this 'review', am I supposed to draw that the only thing that matters when it comes to movies is race and financial status?
5
Charles, did you go for the movie or just for popcorn and soda?
6
Have your baby die and tell me how mundane it is. Sometimes Charles seems like an ass, and sometimes he seems like a straight-up monster.

Those of us that have been through the death of a baby find the grief ALMOST as hard, universal, and compelling a subject as which side of the fucking escalator a person should stand on to ensure they don't go to hell.
7

Very good.

I just watched a film like that, Melancholia. It's like a Middle Period Woody Allen (Interiors) film mixed in with a 1950s sci-fi drama like The Day The Earth Caught Fire.

But mostly it's about upper middle class people getting and spending, yawning and being bored, having breakdowns and doing crazy stuff that would get regular folk put away.

Yes, ok, the world was ending, but I sort of imagine the people being nuts even if it wasn't.

You will not criticize me because it has "beautiful cinematography". If you think that beautiful cinematography consists of static CGI landscapes, that look like Windows wallpaper, sure. If you think movies should move. Then no.
8
This was kind of how I felt about Boyhood. It's interesting to see a child grow up and the way it was filmed is amazing, but the actual story is really banal. There were moments of nostalgia that were fun, but emotionally I didn't think the story really had much impact.
9
Funny, I had exactly the same reaction recently when my wife was watching Real Housewives of Atlanta. I commented that they have to manufacture drama for the cameras because they don't have any real problems to deal with.

Of course except for the token blonde bimbo, they are all African American, so just maybe, it has more to do with class than race.
10
I like this review.
11
It's a fun review but you could remove "white" in a couple of places and it would no longer be a fun review that is also racist.
12
This review is a good example of why reading films (and art in general) strictly through a political/economic lens is so reductive and confining. The movie's bad, sure. Even "the upper class has nothing to worry about" -- maybe. But the movie is bad BECAUSE it's about upper class people losing their child? As though a good piece of art couldn't be made with that subject? C'mon, brother.
13
I am an upper class white man and let me tell you a story... I don't really have one. My only real concerns are existential in nature.
14
I'm going to repost what Kiznit wrote above because it's worth restating and I'll add that sometimes Charles simply comes across as insufferably self-important and sometimes he comes across as a pathological narcissist.

"Have your baby die and tell me how mundane it is. Sometimes Charles seems like an ass, and sometimes he seems like a straight-up monster.

Those of us that have been through the death of a baby find the grief ALMOST as hard, universal, and compelling a subject as which side of the fucking escalator a person should stand on to ensure they don't go to hell."
15
Very daring and edgy of you to employ a black writer to tell it like it is about "white people." Please keep sticking it to the man like that.
16
Since Charles received a salary from the Stranger, why not just give him a column and call it "Trolling for Dollars"?

I need to add: you guys are really ahead of the curve in having a writer who preemptively trolls the commenters. Again, great work and keep it up.
17
Sigh, Charles what happen to you "Not seeing race" (Not that I'm agree that we shouldn't see race, but common man, how can you make public statements about not seeing race?)
18
Charles Mudede is at least somewhat racist. I'm being serious, he actually is. And he's an awful journalist.
20

It always cracks me up when White people get so riled up about something little like this. Like being told that most rich white people don't have any real problems is enough to demoralize you're entire existence. Like really? Is that the biggest problem? You call him racists for that? With all the bullshit most of you and other websites spout about POC? With the racists bullshit POC have to hear on a day to day basis and even in our own media? The racist shit POC had to hear with the remake of Annie but no one really sees a problem with casting all white people for stories that are about POC people? Really? Him saying most rich white people don't have to worry about much is the most racist thing you can think of? Wow.

21
The upper class comment in the article was pretty off the mark. I expect better from the stranger. Everybody has problems, everybody has issues. Yes, the movie was weak - I quit ten minutes in on both halves, but yeah cut wealthy people some slack, Charles.
(I talk about it in my podcast at the link; the Selma episode https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/film…) All the best, L
22
I also think it's harsh and unreasonable to say the grief over the death of a child is "old hat" and that it's not worth being considered a story. What is worth being considered a story? More kids dying? Need more action? And why does it matter that they're white?
23
Loved the movie. Sounds like you have a pretty limited, unsympathetic view of the world and people. Losing a child is huge, regardless of the fact that it happens everyday - just like poverty, illness, oppression, racism, etc., all of which are "old hat". Why limit art and your sympathy to just one?

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