Where Hollywood Goes Wrong
I will warn you now, gentle reader, that I'm in a bit of a cynical mood at the moment and some of my comments may be colored with that filter.
One of the worst things to ever happen to modern society is Hollywood. Notice that I didn't say movies, I said Hollywood. We've isolated much of the movie-making "talent " (quotation marks intended) into one small area of the country to allow them all to share ideas back and forth to the point where nothing is original any more. Nearly worse than that, however, is the fact that not only is it unoriginal (as Gudy discussed earlier being a problem of society as a whole), it's also largely wrong. It's been going around in my head for a while just how often the movies that come out of Hollywood miss the mark of real life. Part of this was spurred by my wife's comments during some movies that we watch that certain things that happen "aren't very realistic." Usually at that point I mention that it's a movie, but it has still gottem me thinking about how wrong Hollywood is.
Not everyone is an extraordinary person in extraordinary circumstances or even an ordinary person in extraordinary circumstances. Some of us are ordinary people in ordinary circumstances: trying to raise our families the best that we can, going to work to support that family and spending time with friends whenever possibly. Not all of the women we know have impossible figures, perfect hair and perfect tans. Not all relationships start off fast, have one event that causes parties to doubt the relationship, but get back together for a long and passionate kiss towards the end. Sometime relationships don't work. Sometimes, it takes a while for both to come back to the point where they can work out their differences. Sometimes there's not a hero to save the day, harvest the crops in time or score the final points at the last second. Sometimes, the bad guys win. Sometimes the giant monkey gets the girl. Sometimes the T-Rex ignores the little raptors and eats the little pink sausages. You don't really know kung fu. you can't block laser shots with your light sword. There's no sound in space (interestingly, something that Hollywood got both right and wrong). Of course, on the flip side of these, it's rare that a group of fellow prisoners are wanting to get, um, better acquainted with you. One of the things that Hollywood gets the most wrong, in my opinion (and maybe it's just because it's something that I'm going through now) is pregnancy and childbirth. Most of the Hollywood representations of these two events are laughably wrong. Of course, to a certain extent, that's the point. Most of the births in the movies are done for their comedic value. Nine Months and Father of the Bride 2 spring to mind. Not all pregnant women go through the nine months being unbarably hot all of the time and demanding Chinese food and ice cream (though, there are times I wish for the last part). Labor doesn't always hit with a sudden "Ooo!" and a grabbing of the abdominal area. It's also not a series of humerous false alarms. The delivery isn't attended by someone with a Russian accent (Nine Months) or a child prodigy (FotB 2) who seemingly has no other patients in the building. It doesn't always go smoothly. The woman doesn't yell interesting things during a contraction.
In reality, there are times that the labor doesn't go all that smoothly: The baby comes out looking a bit blue, or a bit bruised from the trip, short though it may be. The doctor might have two or three other women in labor at the same time and arrive in your room just in time for the pushing to start. There's also a chance that the doctor delivering your baby will be one that you've never met before. The beginnings of labor might be several days of Braxton-Hicks contractions before things start getting consistent. False alarms are never humorous - they're disappointing when the woman is waiting anxiously for the pregnancy to be over. There are times (three, in our case) where the baby decides to wait a few days past the due date to arrive. That's the boat that we're in now. We're having to wait for the baby to decide it's time for the grand appearance. It's that period of time that's almost interminable, but must be endured. This is the point where I give a huge sigh and you give me a hug.One of the worst things to ever happen to modern society is Hollywood. Notice that I didn't say movies, I said Hollywood. We've isolated much of the movie-making "talent " (quotation marks intended) into one small area of the country to allow them all to share ideas back and forth to the point where nothing is original any more. Nearly worse than that, however, is the fact that not only is it unoriginal (as Gudy discussed earlier being a problem of society as a whole), it's also largely wrong. It's been going around in my head for a while just how often the movies that come out of Hollywood miss the mark of real life. Part of this was spurred by my wife's comments during some movies that we watch that certain things that happen "aren't very realistic." Usually at that point I mention that it's a movie, but it has still gottem me thinking about how wrong Hollywood is.
Not everyone is an extraordinary person in extraordinary circumstances or even an ordinary person in extraordinary circumstances. Some of us are ordinary people in ordinary circumstances: trying to raise our families the best that we can, going to work to support that family and spending time with friends whenever possibly. Not all of the women we know have impossible figures, perfect hair and perfect tans. Not all relationships start off fast, have one event that causes parties to doubt the relationship, but get back together for a long and passionate kiss towards the end. Sometime relationships don't work. Sometimes, it takes a while for both to come back to the point where they can work out their differences. Sometimes there's not a hero to save the day, harvest the crops in time or score the final points at the last second. Sometimes, the bad guys win. Sometimes the giant monkey gets the girl. Sometimes the T-Rex ignores the little raptors and eats the little pink sausages. You don't really know kung fu. you can't block laser shots with your light sword. There's no sound in space (interestingly, something that Hollywood got both right and wrong). Of course, on the flip side of these, it's rare that a group of fellow prisoners are wanting to get, um, better acquainted with you. One of the things that Hollywood gets the most wrong, in my opinion (and maybe it's just because it's something that I'm going through now) is pregnancy and childbirth. Most of the Hollywood representations of these two events are laughably wrong. Of course, to a certain extent, that's the point. Most of the births in the movies are done for their comedic value. Nine Months and Father of the Bride 2 spring to mind. Not all pregnant women go through the nine months being unbarably hot all of the time and demanding Chinese food and ice cream (though, there are times I wish for the last part). Labor doesn't always hit with a sudden "Ooo!" and a grabbing of the abdominal area. It's also not a series of humerous false alarms. The delivery isn't attended by someone with a Russian accent (Nine Months) or a child prodigy (FotB 2) who seemingly has no other patients in the building. It doesn't always go smoothly. The woman doesn't yell interesting things during a contraction.
With all of that said, there are times where the absurd does happen during a delivery because there are times that the doctor delivering your baby might be the mayor of the town that you're living in. Hey, it happens.
1 comment:
I'm definitely going to rethink saying the phrase "It's just a movie" to my wife after reading this post. Hollywood has definitely gotten a lot wrong.
Praying for you.
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