Getting tired of tired formulas
I'm not naive enough to believe all new movies are totally original creations. I realize most modern scripts follow comparable paths and are usually structured. The problem arises when the same old formula is used and it's used poorly. This weekend I saw the new D-Quaid feature Smart People. Besides its great title and performances by Ellen Page (babe) and Thom
as Haden Church (hilarious), the film was rather formulaic and dull.
Films like Smart People feature the lamest and most boring story arc imaginable, namely, the "character growth" arc. Not to be confused with the "character spiraling into awfulness" arc which is awesome. See: The Godfather. Lately I find these stories of personal growth to be eerily similar. This indicates a trite formula.
FORMULA TIME! (spoilers, probably)
Step 1: Create a protagonist. Give them some general negative qualities: being a jerk, neglecting others, inability to change, ignoring others. Now take the opposites of these qualities: being pleasant, caring for others, adapting to adversity, noticing others.
These opposites are the target for the film's ending. Remember this!
Step 2: Introduce a foil or two to show your character's flaws. If your character is a grouch, give them a care-free brother; if your character is socially inept, he or she should have a personable friend; if your character sells insurance, have them meet a hippie-type living on the edge, smoking doobs and forgetting bill payments. Contrast is the best!
Step 3: Devise a set of abstract and tangible representations of your character's problem. Ex: your quirky character can't remember people's names, is picky about car-seats, and he or she clings to some clothes that belonged to his or her dead wife. Hah, okay, I'm talking about D'Quaid's Prof. character here.
Step 4: Have some crap happen in the middle leading up to...
Step 5: The change-montage set to a pop song. Play some hip song, preferably one with an indie sensibility and a crescendo, and have your character change. Ex: D'Quaid finally donates those old clothes. But it's not just the clothes, the clothes are symbolic. An external representation of internal change. Now, this can be done well. See: Mordecai (above). And done poorly. See: Smart People's clothes. The problem is that this device is totally over-used. Totally.
Right, I'm complaining about something that most people like to see in films: a plot. Character depth, drama, all that stuff. I just hate heavy-handed change. I don't want to be able to readily spot the symbolism in objects long before they're used. "Oh, man, I bet that luggage is like really baggage and those people will have to get rid of the 'baggage'."
Also, overusing pop songs in lieu of a legit soundtrack is one of the most frustrating things about modern cinema. Yes, I'm aware of great uses like in Magnolia; but for every good use of pop music there are 10 pieces of crap like Running With Scissors.
What about Smart People? Well, aside from the above mentioned gripes, it wasn't too terrible. The acoustic guitar soundtrack was lame. I didn't recognize the pop-songs so it's not like the movie ruined my love of anything prized. Movie-wise, Thomas Haden Church was hilarious. Ellen Page was lovely (as always) but character was underdeveloped. The scene where THC offers EP a joint was obnoxious, though. Come on, is this The Breakfast Club or something? "Smoke pot and loosen up 'cause it's hip and rebellious." Just like tattoos and pierced ears.. And who smokes joints anymore? Get a pipe, dude.
In conclusion, I generally dislike melodramatic films with positive-change character arcs, and I like pointing out how smart I am for seeing similarities in modern movies. Look, ma, I got an A in gym class!!!
So, blogulatees, the question is: Do you find the use of pop-songs in films to detract from a film or add to the experience?
Yes, those were the best D'Quaid photos available.
as Haden Church (hilarious), the film was rather formulaic and dull.Films like Smart People feature the lamest and most boring story arc imaginable, namely, the "character growth" arc. Not to be confused with the "character spiraling into awfulness" arc which is awesome. See: The Godfather. Lately I find these stories of personal growth to be eerily similar. This indicates a trite formula.
FORMULA TIME! (spoilers, probably)
Step 1: Create a protagonist. Give them some general negative qualities: being a jerk, neglecting others, inability to change, ignoring others. Now take the opposites of these qualities: being pleasant, caring for others, adapting to adversity, noticing others.
These opposites are the target for the film's ending. Remember this!Step 2: Introduce a foil or two to show your character's flaws. If your character is a grouch, give them a care-free brother; if your character is socially inept, he or she should have a personable friend; if your character sells insurance, have them meet a hippie-type living on the edge, smoking doobs and forgetting bill payments. Contrast is the best!
Step 3: Devise a set of abstract and tangible representations of your character's problem. Ex: your quirky character can't remember people's names, is picky about car-seats, and he or she clings to some clothes that belonged to his or her dead wife. Hah, okay, I'm talking about D'Quaid's Prof. character here.
Step 4: Have some crap happen in the middle leading up to...
Step 5: The change-montage set to a pop song. Play some hip song, preferably one with an indie sensibility and a crescendo, and have your character change. Ex: D'Quaid finally donates those old clothes. But it's not just the clothes, the clothes are symbolic. An external representation of internal change. Now, this can be done well. See: Mordecai (above). And done poorly. See: Smart People's clothes. The problem is that this device is totally over-used. Totally.Right, I'm complaining about something that most people like to see in films: a plot. Character depth, drama, all that stuff. I just hate heavy-handed change. I don't want to be able to readily spot the symbolism in objects long before they're used. "Oh, man, I bet that luggage is like really baggage and those people will have to get rid of the 'baggage'."
Also, overusing pop songs in lieu of a legit soundtrack is one of the most frustrating things about modern cinema. Yes, I'm aware of great uses like in Magnolia; but for every good use of pop music there are 10 pieces of crap like Running With Scissors.
What about Smart People? Well, aside from the above mentioned gripes, it wasn't too terrible. The acoustic guitar soundtrack was lame. I didn't recognize the pop-songs so it's not like the movie ruined my love of anything prized. Movie-wise, Thomas Haden Church was hilarious. Ellen Page was lovely (as always) but character was underdeveloped. The scene where THC offers EP a joint was obnoxious, though. Come on, is this The Breakfast Club or something? "Smoke pot and loosen up 'cause it's hip and rebellious." Just like tattoos and pierced ears.. And who smokes joints anymore? Get a pipe, dude.In conclusion, I generally dislike melodramatic films with positive-change character arcs, and I like pointing out how smart I am for seeing similarities in modern movies. Look, ma, I got an A in gym class!!!
So, blogulatees, the question is: Do you find the use of pop-songs in films to detract from a film or add to the experience?
Yes, those were the best D'Quaid photos available.
This entry was posted by Sean, on
Tuesday, April 15, 2008.
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Well, they say the early bird gets the worm - and when you're required to be at work by 6:00, you're definitely the early bird. So I'll start the comments on this one.
First, those are some pretty sexy photos of Denis Quaid! I'm sure Brigitte would agree, as she was just gushing over him last night.
To answer your questions, Sean, I think it really depends on the music chosen and the film they are in. For example, after I learned that V for Vendetta was NOT a satire I found myself a little salty that it featured Cat Power. Second example, Garden State and its profuse use of indie rock music made me so angry that I wanted to cry as much as the audience members who actually enjoyed the movie. Royal Tenenbaums, though, LOVED it!
So I guess, I tend to not appreciate the use of pop songs in films as a tool to give it the "indie cred" that usually makes people think it was a good movie - when I think the movie stinks.
That's probably not the best way to look at it, and may be one of the most pretentious things I've said on the Blogulator, but still.
P.S. Thomas Haden Church is going to be my second husband after Yoni Wolf inevitably leaves me for some super hot model.
I heard that Zach Braff wrote Garden State because of the soundtrack, so that makes it totally viable, right?
Also, I have low expectations for Haden Church since (among other things) his wooden performance in Spiderman 3. Do you know how he could have sharpened the edge on that character?
By using Sandmanpaper! Pwahhahahahah!
I used to babysit for one of the scientists in the first scene of InnerSpace (who was actually a NASA scientist). That's my claim to Hollywood. But she had no dish on Dennis Quaid, so her story of making the movie was pretty boring.
How does Brammer do this?? His puns are always funny, and even the way he wrote that laugh, in turn, made me laugh! Seriously, I have no idea how you pull that off, Brammer, but it's absolutely brilliant.
Sean - excellent post. But one of my great joys in life is when a movie spends juuuust too long focusing on some obscure detail and I get to call how its going to be used lated. DON'T TAKE THAT AWAY FROM ME!!
your writeup was pretty much how i expected Smart People to be...yet, i still want to see it...if for no other reason than to experience it for myself (?). Oh, and yes, i am totally in love with DQ. and Innerspace is a FANTASTIC movie. i like that this is the second time it's been mentioned (kind of) in the blogulator in the past six or so months. what a film!
I saw the Innerspace graphic and the "tired forumlas" title and immediately thought this post was going to be about the new Eddie Murphy vehicle, Meet Dave, in which Murphy plays both a normal sized human Dave and a tiny itty bitty one that lives inside Dave's body and traverses his organs/brain cavity (similar to Innerspace - how similar I don't know, because I've never sat through the whole film).
Back on track, I mostly hate pop songs in movies, unless I like said pop song AND the movie in which it is found. Bad/mediocre movies can ruin good songs and make for a very bland/forced/too hip mood setting when it's a song you don't know/care about.
But when a song is used that either I had never heard until that movie or hadn't cared much about until that movie (a movie I'm enjoying as I watch it) can have a PROFOUND effect on me. Especially if it's a retro song, a la Wes Anderson (The Faces' "Ooh La La") or Donnie Darko (Echo and the Bunnymen's "The Killing Moon").
And maybe in just an attempt to start another long line of "Chris is wrong" comments, I'd like to restate that one of the not-so-many things I really loved (though I generally liked the movie overall) about The Darjeeling Limited was the literal baggage they carried around with them. I thought it was a hilarious use of a tired saying, but then revitalized so that it actually meant something again.
Chris, I agree with what you said except for your thoughts on TD Ltd.
Anyone read comment 32 in the prior post? it's long but interesting. art and evolution. good stuff.
chris, i think you're right. i liked that in the Darjeeling Ltd as well.
Comment 32 rules. That Paal Hjarstad is a genius.
"Smart People" was not good. Ellen Page was also not good. I'm not understanding how people have jumped on her bandwagon following a seemingly endless stream of playing the same character. After having seen "Juno" (hated it), I went and saw "Hard Candy" and then this. She's playing pretty much the same character (obviously "Hard Candy" was the extreme of the group, but it's still young girl too smart(ass) for her own good), and it's not an endearing one.
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