Mr. Pip (2012)
Wow, did I want to like this movie. It was different at the outset and it had a great leading man, the lead from the t.v. show "House," Hugh Laurie. It was set in Papua New Guinea where a village of locals was terrorized by an outside military group. The white man in the midst of these very dark-skinned natives is part of the outer conflict by his difference, but really Lauries plays an insider, too, and hence some of the interest.
On top of this is the cool plot idea, which eventually becomes a contrivance, based on the Dickens novel "Great Expectations." In fact, the leading character of that book, Pip, becomes an unwitting character here. It's subtle and often touching and sometimes brilliant.
But it's also uneven, and preys upon the audience for sympathy, which is a deal- breaker for me. There are times when the movie is unsually brutal, and though I don't doubt the brutality of militias in the fringes of the world, it doesn't make a movie, at least not as a centerpiece.
It's true, the plot continues—it moves from continent to continent, and the leading character (not Laurie) is now a young girl from the tribe on this island who befriended her white tutor. And it's always interesting, though a bit forced. There are times when the conflicts are about conflict. And there are tender, intimate insights into cross-cultural issues. And not only the English white world versus the tribal world of New Guinea, but also the traditional culture vs. the new Western-influenced world that was so often militarized and corrupt.
I think some people will be blown away by all of this. I'm looking at it with a bit of a distance, thinking of it as a movie, regardless of its emotional impact. And it really is a bit sloppy and indulgent. But give it a shot. It's different, and that's a winning trump card.
Wow, did I want to like this movie. It was different at the outset and it had a great leading man, the lead from the t.v. show "House," Hugh Laurie. It was set in Papua New Guinea where a village of locals was terrorized by an outside military group. The white man in the midst of these very dark-skinned natives is part of the outer conflict by his difference, but really Lauries plays an insider, too, and hence some of the interest.
On top of this is the cool plot idea, which eventually becomes a contrivance, based on the Dickens novel "Great Expectations." In fact, the leading character of that book, Pip, becomes an unwitting character here. It's subtle and often touching and sometimes brilliant.
But it's also uneven, and preys upon the audience for sympathy, which is a deal- breaker for me. There are times when the movie is unsually brutal, and though I don't doubt the brutality of militias in the fringes of the world, it doesn't make a movie, at least not as a centerpiece.
It's true, the plot continues—it moves from continent to continent, and the leading character (not Laurie) is now a young girl from the tribe on this island who befriended her white tutor. And it's always interesting, though a bit forced. There are times when the conflicts are about conflict. And there are tender, intimate insights into cross-cultural issues. And not only the English white world versus the tribal world of New Guinea, but also the traditional culture vs. the new Western-influenced world that was so often militarized and corrupt.
I think some people will be blown away by all of this. I'm looking at it with a bit of a distance, thinking of it as a movie, regardless of its emotional impact. And it really is a bit sloppy and indulgent. But give it a shot. It's different, and that's a winning trump card.