Saturday, May 20

Da Vinci dupe...once is enough

The word on the street is that the Ron Howard adaptation of Dan Brown's novel is a waste of time. Surprised? Not really. What Ron Howard movie do you remember really liking? He often goes overboard on sentimentality while giving characters the depth of cardboard. A Beautiful Mind, Cinderella Man, even if they are successful at jerking a couple of tears I always feel a twinge of viewer's remorse as I leave the theater.

My early prediction for the DaVinci Code is that it would fail miserably. That was back in '05 when I saw the first trailer for the film. I couldn't help but notice that Tom Hank's hair detracts from the already difficult task of taking him seriously. Who can believe that Audrey Tatou, an adorable frenchy, would not provide a quick hairstyle upgrade. Beyond this...there's the story itself. the Louvre and Audrey Tatou, the only two reasons to see this movie

I remember the hype. I waited months before borrowing the book from one of the legion of fans raving about it. I was intrigued by some people's impulse to follow up on the Mary mystery. The fans purchased reader's guides and books explaining the symbology introduced in The Code. Lunch breaks were spent explaining the importance of personal epiphanies facilitated by the book. Their fervor seemed akin to the deadhead's dedication to Jerry. I remember Autzen Stadium



Unfortunately, I believed their hype and brought the book along on a holiday with friends. Even my atrophized critical thinking skills recognized the Code's pop literature recipe, closer to trashy television writing than revelatory fiction. Fortunately, I finished reading it by my second day at the beach and could pack it away beneath my never worn sarong.

It makes perfect sense that the Da Vinci code should be adapted for the big screen. But I don't think I'll fork over the ten bucks to see it. No, I may be slow but I have learned my lesson.

3 comments:

highdesertsultan said...

well, you did your homework, that's for sure.

Anonymous said...

Nice writing, it might have served me well had I read it a bit sooner.

I had the opportunity this past weekend to see the Da Vinci Code. First, I must tell you I have given up a long time ago expecting to be "moved" or intellectually challenged by what I see on the silver screen. My only expectation is that I will be entertained enough to validate my expenditure. The Da Vinci Code does this............ barely.

My biggest disappointment was not the directing or even the acting it was the story itself. I'm not sure why it matters if Christ has a blood line....... I mean even a God has desires doesn't he/she? Isn't it God's desire to (as per the Bible) to have us worship him/her? If Christ was in fact a deity constrained in a man's body wouldn't he be just like any other guy and want to "get a little" every now and then? Maybe it's just me but it seems reasonable.

Back to the movie.

Overall, not having read the book or really hearing much of the hype around the movie, I came into the theater open-minded with the only pre-conceived notion being Tom Hanks would be, as usual, superb. He wasn't. It seemed throughout the movie Ron Howard had shackles around Hanks or maybe Hanks just never really bought into this character. In any case, it was one of the most uninspired performances by Hanks that I have seen. As for the rest of the acting it was acceptable but not exceptional.

I think this sums up the movie best:

I made the mistake of having a couple of beers with my dinner before I went to the movie. If found myself (as we all have) having mother nature call about half way through the movie. Knowing there was no chance of me waiting until the end of the movie I relunctantly left the theater to take care of business. Upon my return, and after stepping on a young girls foot attmepting to get to my seat, I leaned over and anxiously asked my son what had I missed. He flatly replied "nothing".

I am concerned about your comment around Tom Hanks hair. Does this mean that you don't like longer hair on men? I've been hearing that a lot lately:)

cassondra said...

Thanks for the review. As for the long hair, it is complicated. I used to think I liked long hair (read: college years). In fact, I begged certain fellows to please not cut their hair. They did not heed my plea and I discovered that, they often looked better (to me) with the shorn locks. The thing about hair is that it is one thing that some of us have a little control over. So enjoy it. Wear it the way you wish.

Also, Tom Hanks hair is bad not because it is long but because it lacks any style whatsoever.