Hey, guys and dolls. My mama (NOT mama 'n 'em, LOL) dragged me to see this pathetic excuse for a movie last night. I must say that Tom Hanks must be hard up for dough. This is the nadir of his career, as far as I'm concerned. (What's with the artificially crooked teeth? Yet another insult to Southern manhood. F these Yankees and the bus they rode in on! Assuming they even rode in on a bus, or a plane or a train.)

It is apparent that the screenplay was written by two guys who have never set foot in our fair state. I will admit (reluctantly, and perhaps I shouldn't, since nobody known to me except Mama heard me) that I laughed a few times, but all in all, this so-called film was a complete joke. (And its promoters dared to compare it to "Forrest Gump?" )

This "film" supposes itself set in Saucier, Mississippi. The main character announces that he is a professor on leave from the University of Mississippi at Hattiesburg. (I almost walked out at that point, except, you know, mama wanted to see this movie, and you know how we southern girls are about our mamas.) This piece of trash proceeds to expoit every known southern stereotype, from big-breasted, flowered-hat-wearing black women dancing in the aisles in church, to young black guys ogling ample female derrieres, to fat, clueless law enforcement officers... good Lord, people are getting paid big bucks for putting out this trash? It features garbage barges moving down a waterway... We don't have garbage barges in Mississippi, do we? Yankees, go home!

The problem with this movie, in my humble opinion... okay, ONE problem with this movie is that it pretended to be something it wasn't. It was trying to be "Fargo" and it failed miserably. Sadly, didn't it even rise to the level of a decent crime caper. It couldn't be that, and it couldn't even be average slapstick. (SEE: "Big Momma's House.") Note to writers/directors: if you're going to give us 90 minutes of the predicable activities of one-dimensional characters, you'd better provide some mind-numbing slapstick to make it bearable.

They didn't. As a Southerner by the grace of God, I am insulted by this piece of trash.

Your thoughts?

P.S. From Roger Ebert, who gave it a 2 1/2:

"There's also a subplot involving Mrs. Munson's regular donations to Bob Jones University; she is apparently unaware of its antediluvian attitudes about race. There are too many moments where dialogue seems so unmatched to the characters that they seem to be victims of a drive-by ventriloquist." I couldn't have said it better myself. :girl:

I had heard the comparison to Forrest Gump and was anxious to see it... glad that you warned me Dotty. Most of the attempts that Hollywood makes to characterize the "Southern" life style are so far off base that they make you .

HAVEN'T SEEN IT AND DON'T INTEND TO. EVERY REVUE I'VE SEEN TRASHEA IT AND GENERALLY THINK THAT TOM HANKS HAS MADE THE WORST MOVIE OF HIS CAREER. YOU ARE CORRECT IN YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT HOLLYWOOD'S PORTRAYAL OF SOUTHERN LIFE. HATTIESBURG THE HOME OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI?? MY MY. WHAT A TRAVISTY.

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OLE MISS: A CUT ABOVE

This is nothing new, Hollywood always projects us(Suth-nahs) as dumb@$$ hillbilly, toothless, inbred necks.

However, Mrs Parker, based on everything you mentioned in your post, I'd say they were pretty right on...at least from a Jackson, MS standpoint.

I hate to say this because I'm probably going to piss some of you off, like that's anything new. :rolleyes: But there is some truth in how they portray the South, TO SOME DEGREE. Don't get me wrong, I am from the South and damn proud of it, wouldn't have it any other way, and even I get offended at some of it....but let's think about this. (NOTE: I have not seen this movie yet, my opinions are based on former portrayals, and there are plenty)

First off, there are stupid people in all regions of the country, so to generalize the South only as uneducated folk as often as they do is wrong. Actually, to generalize us at all is wrong, but in my almost 33 years of life and living in the great South, I have come across some very, very stupid people. And here's where you may get pissed.....The majority of my dealings with idiots have come in the last year and a half, in Jackson. It's not all of MS, just Jackson. The coast I had no problems there, Vicksburg was fine, Meridian I've never had any problems with, and we all know that northern MS is the closest thing to Heaven on Earth. It just seems to be in Jackson, the armpit and shitpile of the world, excuse my bluntness. I don't think there is any one place in the world that has that many stupid, idiotic, doltish morons packed into one toilet of a town anywhere else. Can't be. It only took a year and a half of living amongst those simpletons to get my family the hell out....and run. It would've been much sooner, too, had my job transferred me sooner.
Alright, I've totally steered off course with my point. My point was that based on my experience in Jackson and based on portrayals of the South in the movies, I'd say that maybe they did all of their research for movies for how we are in the South primarily in Jackson, thus, the negative stigma we get from the Hollywood jackasses.

I'm just saying, Dottie, that there is some truth into how they portray the South. Sure, maybe it is embellished at times, but still pretty close. I'm not saying your review of this particular movie is wrong, again I haven't seen it, but based on past movies I'd say so. Just watch the local news some night in the South...anywhere, not just Jackson, but anywhere, even here in Nashville. The news people will go to cover an apartment fire or any accident and look for the most uneducated, wife-beating t-shirt wearing, three-tooth having, hat turned crooked, talks like he's had 28 beers moron to get their eyewitness account from. And you know what the sad part is? They usually find 'em.

10MAN Wrote:I don't think there is any one place in the world that has that many stupid, idiotic, doltish morons packed into one ....

That pretty accurately describes the Birmingham City Council (and other city government for that matter). That's a big part of the city's population/businesses dwindling regularly for the past 30 years and North Shelby County is booming.

My wife went to see it this past weekend and she said it really sucked. I've never met a movie that she didn't like. It must have really been bad.
10Man, I agree 100% with you about Jacktown. Of course, a lot of it has to do with the "caliber " of people that are running the government there, if you know what I mean. :rolleyes:

Ya'll aint seen nothing! Come to the Memphis area...

I got this in the form of an e-mail the other day. Since you guys have brought up politics I am more than happy to jump in.

At about the time our 13 states adopted the condtitution, Alexander Tyler, a Scottish historian, had this to say about the fall of the Athenian Republic some 2000 years prior.

A democracy is always temporary in nature, it will exist up until the time the voters discover they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the treasury. The democracy will collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship.

The average age of the worlds greatest civilizations is 200 years. During those years they progress through sequences.

Bondage to spirual faith
Spiritual faith to courage
Courage to liberty
Liberty to abundance
Abundance to complacency
Complacency to apathy
Apathy to dependence
Dependence back to bondage

In my few short years on this planet I have seen the scale tip back and forth between two of the above mentioned. It seems as if the scale has begun to tip ever so gentley into apathy. If ever a time for the people of America to wake up, is now.

No one political party will solve the problem, but neither will giving away the store to please and appease. If the contributors to society don't muster some courage and suck it up, we will be working for the state to support those that are not less fortunate, but those that know how to manipulate the system to their advantage.

I am not an EXTREME CAPITOLIST but, if you want to enjoy all the benefits a society has to offer, move to Sweden, and take George Carlin with you!

Dorothy Parker Wrote:This "film" supposes itself set in Saucier, Mississippi. The main character announces that he is a professor on leave from the University of Mississippi at Hattiesburg.

how did they pronounce saucier? soshay,sosher, or sauce-e-er

and i dont know who should be offended more, usm people or ole miss people on the uni of miss in hburg

I tell you what, Hollywood is schizo. Just when you think they are getting better at accurate portrayals, a la The Passion, they come out with this garbage!

When I was out in Kaliforny years ago, most fockers out there could not distinguish NCAA football from pro football and those who could thought the Eagles, Bulldogs and Rebels were all the same team from Mississippi. I guess they imagined a University of Southern Ole Miss State.

What the heck is this world coming to!

BTW, Ole Miss is ranked #4 by Collegiate Baseball?!?!?!?!? Damn, we must be good!

College World Series here we come (and State sucks, ha-ha)! :D

I think me and EBR will be in Oxford on April 15-17 if anyone wants to hook up for beers and food! Hope to see yawl there.

I'm going to try to be there on the 17th. I already have tickets to the Tennessee-Ole Miss baseball game that will be played on that day!

KlutzDio I Wrote:When I was out in Kaliforny years ago, most fockers out there could not distinguish NCAA football from pro football and those who could thought the Eagles, Bulldogs and Rebels were all the same team from Mississippi.

....well, when you have the Plainsmen, the War Eagles, and the Tigers all from the same school.......

Seriously, movies like this piss me off because they hint that this behavior is the rule and therefore ALL people in Mississippi are illiterate, backwoods rednecks living in mobile homes and driving our 4X4's down the dirt roads we are inundated with that comprise our highway system.

KlutzDio I Wrote:I think me and EBR will be in Oxford on April 15-17 if anyone wants to hook up for beers and food! Hope to see yawl there.

We'll be there, too, Dio. I'll give you a call, if you still have the same #. We will have plenty 'o suds.