The 90s were before I started reviewing movies on this blog, but I remember how popular this movie was when it came out. I wasn't quite as big a fan of it as some of my friends were, but I remember liking it well enough when I saw it.
...saw this clip on Youtube, though. (Randomly popped up while I was surfing). And I realized how incredibly stupid this whole movie was. I remember this scene, and I remember thinking even at the time that it was vaguely unrealistic. But now 20 years later, re-watching it, I'm struck by how unbelievably stupid this scene is. The screenwriters (Affleck and Damon) have no sense of how people actually interact with each other in the real world. In what world do history grad students try to humiliate townies at bars by showing off how much they know about history. How did this movie win so many awards?
The rumour at the time was William Goldman was one of the "fixers" on this script. Given the blunt stupidity of this scene I rather doubt it. If either Damon or Affleck could write their way out of a paper bag you'd think they'd have done so by now.
ReplyDeleteI hate to admit it, but I don't remember this scene striking me as being so bad in the 1990s. I thought it was maybe a little bit exaggerated, but it didn't strike me as being so appalling stupid as it does now.
ReplyDeletePerhaps I've grown.
Also, perhaps it's more obvious now (than it was in the 1990s) that a history graduate student is heading for the poverty line, so its nothing to brag about.
Coincidentally, I just read this appreciation of GWH yesterday. I am almost tempted to amend my late dismissal of the movie. But I have to agree with your grim assessment: had we known then what we know now, we would have seen Will's journey to the west coast as a journey to Palookaville, while Chuckie the tradesman winds up being the guy who puts a roof over the heads of his family and three squares on the table.
ReplyDelete