Posted on 12/13/2009 1:06:45 PM PST by Publius804
Clint Eastwood’s Invictus: A Colossal Bore
South Africa is plagued with astonishing levels of crime and poverty, its peoples segregated and suspicious of one another. But the new Clint Eastwood-directed movie Invictus says that’s all okay, because the country’s rugby team won a few games in 1995.
Coming off last winter’s excellent and far more challenging Gran Torino, Invictus is shockingly pedestrian and cliché-ridden. Its level of racial naivety makes it a sort of Driving Mr. Damon, with Morgan Freeman accepting a demotion from his usual roles as God or the president of the United States. This time he merely plays a saint — Nelson Mandela.
Although in one scene we are told that Mandela is a flesh-and-blood human being with family troubles, the rest of the movie shows the man working himself to exhaustion, protesting that he is overpaid, putting himself in physical peril for the sake of his country, forgiving sinners, and generally glowing from the halo over his head. As played by Morgan Freeman with maximum beatitude, he’s one of many reasons why this movie is a colossal bore.
Another is Matt Damon who, as the blond captain of the South African national rugby team the Springboks, is a total blank except that he really wants to win. His team plays so badly in the early stages of the movie that he orders everyone to drink the worst beer he can find — to symbolize the bitter taste of defeat. If putting together a championship-caliber team were that easy, wouldn’t the Detroit Lions simply order in a few cases of Pabst?
Despite Eastwood’s eagerness to portray Mandela as a sort of Jesus with a funny accent....
(Excerpt) Read more at pajamasmedia.com ...
You sure have a thin skin, IMO. Chill out.
I’ve lost all desire to see Clint Eastwood films since “A Perfect World” (1997), which was one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen.
Did you like “Blind Side”?
I don’t go to the movies much at all but someone told me that “Blind Side” is worth going to see. Is it?
Yes, that would be interesting, with regard to Magabe. I suspect you won’t see that one made any time soon. Whites are viewed by many to be the evil player in Africa.
They have no idea how much Whites have done over there that is good. And I’d like to ask, what nation over there that is run by Africans, has turned out to be anything near as decent as South Africa, even after the fall.
I still haven’t seen ‘Gran Torino’, but had intended to when it came onto cable.
I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it, because I didn’t know which direction it would lead.
It’s too bad. I used to like Clint Eastwood back in the days of Rawhide....
A stich in time saves nine: if you hadn't stopped the criticism before feelings got hurt, someone might have had to get a comforter.
*
Go easy there, don’t get fantom down. Fiberfill is OK.
I thought 'Blind Side' was a good movie. Sandra Bullock was superb. It showed a religious family in a positive light.
I don't know if this was intended, but is showed why 'vouchers' without strings attached should be the way of primary and secondary education in this country.
It didn't make me want to go back to the theater to see it. I likely will skip it on network TV when it appears. Nevertheless, I'm glad I saw it and recommend it for anyone looking for a show to see.
Bee that as it may, it is comforting.
What is really sad is that Clint could of made some really good quality movies about less known black people than Mandela for less than he spent on this turkey.
Two of my suggestions.
C.J. Walker’s story of becoming one of the richest women of her day.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madam_C._J._Walker
Blind Boone who was one of the greatest ragtime artists and handicapped.
http://blindboone.missouri.org/history.html
As for Invictus, knowing what I do about Mandella and S. Africa, there is no way I'm going to watch this PC Propaganda.........
“You guys should stop batting one another like this. The movie isn’t about the South African cricket team!”
OMG. Just got that. And I’m a QUILTER!!!!
hahahahahahahahahaha
Thanks, Tax-Chick, you MADE MY DAY.
Mandela is probably the “leader” most comparable to Obama—a Marxist first, but almost equally an inept idiot.
I wonder if this is Clint’s cinematic response to Spike Lee accusing him of being a racist.Probably.
Freeman and Eastwood should have called it quits after Unforgiven.
This latest strained effort has nothing going for it except some kind of homage to Mandela-—who has not much going for him.
South Africa is in tatters.
You’re a stitch!
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