Lost In America
Albert Brooks portrays a middle-aged fart who, after being
trapped in the same small town all his life, decides to cash in his
life savings on a Winnebago, tell his boss to fuck off, and hit the
road with his honey--spewing his semi-toxic diesel fumes on the young
shits on motorcycles all the ride long. The film charts the couple's
progress as they hit every single tourist trap, roadside attraction,
and greasy spoon/truck stop all the way to Vegas. It's not until there
that everything turns to poop, eventually forcing Brooks to apologize
to his boss. Replete with references to Easy Rider and
rippling with tongue-in-cheek humor, the story is a depressing
commentary on middle class America that's hilarious to watch because
it ain't happening to you. Enjoy!
Shy People
Much like The Beverly Hillbillies, but even better,
Shy People is a powerful account of the collision between the
affluent world of the big city and the backwaters world of loose
toothed coon hunters. Jill Clayburgh plays Diane Sullivan, a New York
journalist who, in search of a scoop, seeks out her estranged cousins
who live mired in the Mississippi Bayou. She and her limp-wristed
daughter are greeted with suspicion by the widowed cousin and her
freakshow children, but eventually settle in long enough to learn of
the brutal hardships faced by a family divorced from civilization and
arm wrestling against the destructive hand of nature. The film exhumes
some deep ethical questions about the place of morality in the face of
necessity, and the acting is potato-chip crisp all the way
through--especially in the relationship of the two cousins, who are as
disparate as candy and castor oil.
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