Don't know if this is a dup. post or not - those of you who have seen 'Babel' ...

[Bullwinkle925]

what did you think? We saw both 'Bobby' and 'Babel' last week. Both movies were thought-provoking - and each I enjoyed on different levels. Performances were very strong in each of them.

[amitten]

1. I thought Babel sucked. I lost 2/12 hours of my life watching it.

The story line was ridiculous and nothing but a constant barrage of over-the-top tragedy.

Brad Pitt has it worse than Job in the movie! This guy:

Has a young child that recently died.
Has a failing marriage.
Has a wife that gets shot while on vacation trying to save said marriage.
Has his tour group leave him stranded in the middle of nowhere with the dying wife.
Has two kids that get LOST ALONE IN THE DESERT during his vacation because of the nanny.

Not to mention the totally pointless subplot with the Japanese girl...

Give me a break. :eyes: Angst overload!!! Plus, it was boring.

[Bullwinkle925]

2. So I take it that you didn't care for it, eh??

Yes, the Japanese girl was too morose for my taste - but the movie kept making comparisons in my mind to "Crash". I enjoyed the thread that tied them all together. I believe I won't take things 'at first glance' now.
Did you see "Bobby"?

[amitten]

3. No, but I'm looking forward to it. n/t

[Bullwinkle925]

4. It was a very interesting take on that day in history.

It was unbelievable to me how my gut wrenched (still - after all these years) when Bobby left that podium and headed for the kitchen. I hope you enjoy the movie.

[crispini]

5. Babel was deeeeee-pressing.

And, honestly, the whole "slicing up time" concept, although interesting, has been done before. I really wanted to like it, but I felt the length was self-indulgent and got in the way of the story. If it had been a half hour shorter, it wouldn't have dragged so much. Also, the connection with the Japanese girl was farfetched, although interesting. As far as the theme -- people have problems understanding each other -- well, it's a worthy theme but there's no need to hammer us over the head with it or let your quest for "meaning" get in the way of a good story.

Although the funniest thing EVER happened in the ladies' bathroom after the show. We were at a suburban theatre 'cause it was in wide release. Not exactly an art-house audience. Two young women were discussing the movie.

Young woman #1: "That was the worst movie EVER."
Young woman #2: "Yeah, and Brad Pitt looked AWFUL."

:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

[Bullwinkle925]

6. That's amusing - so they went to see only a Brad movie, eh?

You're right - I don't think this movie is meant for a 'wide-release' - I believe it was intended more for the art house crowd. It probably won't go over very well in my small Kansas childhood town. I thoroughly enjoyed it - the bit about the Japanese girl was totally out of the loop - I would have preferred something more developed with her father instead. I enjoyed the Moroccan boys and the story-line in Mexico. At a base level, I always enjoy seeing the similarities between the cultures instead of the differences.