I have long loved a good football movie. In my growing wisdom (really just aging), I've realized that most football movies, and nearly all sports movies, can be problematic.
That "based on a true story" stuff, well, it's typically more "based on" than "true." At least, that's been my experience when looking deeper into a film that makes me feel a certain way, in particular, a movie centered on racism as the core problem.
It doesn't change that sports and stories centered on sports attract an audience. It's fun to watch drama wrapped up in a competition. I have to admit, I love it. I also ask myself to think past the plot's surface.
Just enjoy the movie.
Well, that would be easy for me to say, so I try to at least think on it longer than that feel-good feeling I might find myself getting.
This weekend, we've watched Remember the Titans about four times. This is a movie I enjoy (again, check Google, you'll see major parts of the plot are just plain false), but we were watching it for a different reason. My son was working on a paper for his communications class. He was tasked with choosing three characters and picking apart their leadership skills. I thought it was a pretty neat assignment. Also, I didn't mind watching the movie four times.
Similar to reading a book multiple times, I saw how aspects of the storyline were inflated and falsified for entertainment. Now, I know a movie is meant to entertain. My question, the one swirling in my head over and over, when is entertainment more important than the truth? If someone says a story is based on truth, people may watch and believe it as truth. So, what narratives are created when this happens? That's what bothers me and picks at my thought process. And, I don't mind. I'll keep letting it pick.
Betsy, don't EVER let the truth get in the way of a good story! Didn't you ever use that line when teaching writing? Audiences love drama, and sometimes there's not enough in real life. Maybe movies and entertainment are the infancy stage of social media, the ultimate skewer of reality!
ReplyDeleteI love that movie! And what a neat assignment for your son! I do like that you are thinking about fact vs. fiction and when we should be careful of romanticizing narratives, as well... but I still love that movie, lol! Maybe it would be better to present stories like that as clearly fictionalized, so more people might find out the true information behind them? (Interesting fact - I have a friend who teaches in that district and Petey is a custodian at his school!)
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting question- “When is entertainment more important than the truth?” However you answer, the important part is the asking, the researching, the thinking critically. And other times, we just need to enjoy the art form. Thank you for this thought provoking slice.
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