Short Take on "Without a Paddle"
O...K. This reaction will be short, sweet, and slightly disjointed. It's been several days since I watched the movie and I still remember most of it, but for now I'd like to deal with the philosophies in the movie. First of all, though, I'd like to share some thoughts about the basic good and bad of the film. It'll help us understand the nature of the philosophies embedded in the script.
Funny. I guess that's what this show is, so I'll give it that. For one, I liked the Matrix parody mainly because I regularly make fun of those wacky bullet-dodging scenes the first movie was famous for...you know, Keanu Reeves bending backwards with arms waving and all. In fact, I liked most of the *cleaner* comedy in the film, such as Tom's dumb remarks (the part where the native American tells him off was a nice touch) or Dan's lame, almost-embarassing Threepio cracks (that just kinda shows you how much of a big nerd he really is). The fishing-with-a-flashlight scene? Only in the cartoons. And the grizzly bear episode was rather...cute.
However, around halfway through the film, everything grows lame and dare I say too postmodern pop culture. For one thing, it seemed kinda predictable that the hash field would end up getting burned, but why play into all the 70's “good tripping” drug scene? I know this will sound lame to many of my contemporaries, but as Mrs. Reagan said, you don't need drugs to have fun. In fact, this movie made a number of cracks without necessarily needing to get into the liberal and offensive side of things, although sadly the bathroom jokes outnumbered the more General Audience ones.
And what about those blonde New Age tree huggers? Goodness, that was probably nothing more than a sorry excuse for gratuitous sexual innuendo. Without a Paddle didn't need any of that junk. The homosexual gag in the cave, Dan’s repeated complaints about not being able to get it on with a girl, the numerous references to “downstairs”…this film seems like typical American White Trash sex party stuff at some later points, and it really does nothing for the story. It just ended up killing my interest faster than a gunshot wound right down the middle of the corpus callosum.
Here’s the bad part. What started as a “good ‘ol boys” film with a ton of potential for unearthing the deep treasures of bonding and friendship ended up as just another summer teen flick that stars a trio of angst-ridden twentysomething adults instead of a group of angst-ridden high school sophomores. Whatever shred of morality there was in the film was all but invisible as the viewers are instead treated to a slew of comedic nonsense.
I’ll be fair, since comedy is one literary tool that can be used to make a point—and it does happen at certain points in the film, like the part where Dan stitches up Tom’s wounded arm or the scene where the three heroes fall into a mine pit. Although, mind you: good, lasting points in this film scarce. In fact the very main “moral” of the film is just humanist, existential blather smothered with feel-good overtones (“He burned his money just to stay warm.”). True, money and possessions are nothing compared to a life fully lived. But then again how would the film define a “full life”? Why, doing the things you want to do for the sake of [your own] happiness, of course! Have fun! Hang out with your buddies! Enjoy every spare minute you have because at the point of death it all goes away and we can never take it with us. This life is all we have, so make sure you drink in every last drop like a long, tall Screwdriver on a hot day.
Don’t get me wrong here, I am NOT denying the fact that these guys had to sacrifice their own self-absorption just to help each other (and that IS a crucial part of friendship: coming out of one’s own hole to help another)…but ultimately, it’s all a collective selfishness. And I am only able to say these things because I am a born-again, evangelical Christian. A life lived without any relation to the one, true Triune God whatsoever is good for nothing more than a tool to be used as God sees fit (Ecclesiastes 6:7-9, Romans 9:14-18). And furthermore, herein lies the futility of humanism and materialism (not the “gimme-gimme” kind of materialism, but the philosophy): the belief that the earthly life is all we have. The good news is that those whom God has redeemed have a better destination than this corrupt earth (see 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 Corinthians 15). But I guess I shouldn’t expect anything much from unbelievers on the matter.
In hindsight, I wonder why I even laughed in the first place.
Funny. I guess that's what this show is, so I'll give it that. For one, I liked the Matrix parody mainly because I regularly make fun of those wacky bullet-dodging scenes the first movie was famous for...you know, Keanu Reeves bending backwards with arms waving and all. In fact, I liked most of the *cleaner* comedy in the film, such as Tom's dumb remarks (the part where the native American tells him off was a nice touch) or Dan's lame, almost-embarassing Threepio cracks (that just kinda shows you how much of a big nerd he really is). The fishing-with-a-flashlight scene? Only in the cartoons. And the grizzly bear episode was rather...cute.
However, around halfway through the film, everything grows lame and dare I say too postmodern pop culture. For one thing, it seemed kinda predictable that the hash field would end up getting burned, but why play into all the 70's “good tripping” drug scene? I know this will sound lame to many of my contemporaries, but as Mrs. Reagan said, you don't need drugs to have fun. In fact, this movie made a number of cracks without necessarily needing to get into the liberal and offensive side of things, although sadly the bathroom jokes outnumbered the more General Audience ones.
And what about those blonde New Age tree huggers? Goodness, that was probably nothing more than a sorry excuse for gratuitous sexual innuendo. Without a Paddle didn't need any of that junk. The homosexual gag in the cave, Dan’s repeated complaints about not being able to get it on with a girl, the numerous references to “downstairs”…this film seems like typical American White Trash sex party stuff at some later points, and it really does nothing for the story. It just ended up killing my interest faster than a gunshot wound right down the middle of the corpus callosum.
Here’s the bad part. What started as a “good ‘ol boys” film with a ton of potential for unearthing the deep treasures of bonding and friendship ended up as just another summer teen flick that stars a trio of angst-ridden twentysomething adults instead of a group of angst-ridden high school sophomores. Whatever shred of morality there was in the film was all but invisible as the viewers are instead treated to a slew of comedic nonsense.
I’ll be fair, since comedy is one literary tool that can be used to make a point—and it does happen at certain points in the film, like the part where Dan stitches up Tom’s wounded arm or the scene where the three heroes fall into a mine pit. Although, mind you: good, lasting points in this film scarce. In fact the very main “moral” of the film is just humanist, existential blather smothered with feel-good overtones (“He burned his money just to stay warm.”). True, money and possessions are nothing compared to a life fully lived. But then again how would the film define a “full life”? Why, doing the things you want to do for the sake of [your own] happiness, of course! Have fun! Hang out with your buddies! Enjoy every spare minute you have because at the point of death it all goes away and we can never take it with us. This life is all we have, so make sure you drink in every last drop like a long, tall Screwdriver on a hot day.
Don’t get me wrong here, I am NOT denying the fact that these guys had to sacrifice their own self-absorption just to help each other (and that IS a crucial part of friendship: coming out of one’s own hole to help another)…but ultimately, it’s all a collective selfishness. And I am only able to say these things because I am a born-again, evangelical Christian. A life lived without any relation to the one, true Triune God whatsoever is good for nothing more than a tool to be used as God sees fit (Ecclesiastes 6:7-9, Romans 9:14-18). And furthermore, herein lies the futility of humanism and materialism (not the “gimme-gimme” kind of materialism, but the philosophy): the belief that the earthly life is all we have. The good news is that those whom God has redeemed have a better destination than this corrupt earth (see 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 Corinthians 15). But I guess I shouldn’t expect anything much from unbelievers on the matter.
In hindsight, I wonder why I even laughed in the first place.
posted by Machaira at 12:52 PM
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