I finagled my way into a screening of this. I haven't read the book -- or, more accurately, the story collection -- but I can say with certainty that the book is superior to the film. There are plenty of good things about this movie, but most of them are attributable to the writing. The film comes off like a bunch of (very talented) actors reciting (very good) monologues at an audition (for what could be a very good film), and not as a cohesive film.
Also, I can say *I'm* superior because I've seen this movie already and you haven't. Nyah nyah nyah!
(Don't hate me. I swear I'm a nice person most of the time.)
@Social Crimer: My understanding circa 2007 (maybe outmoded, since Krasinski has worked on this project since he was in college) was that the cleverest narrative device he introduced by way of turning "Brief Interviews.." into a film was the fact that he imagined the book as a series of interviews being organized by a WOMAN working on a thesis of some sort. Pretty clever, I must admit.
She was allegedly supposed to be the prism through which we experience the confessions in the book. Did that change in the final version? Please enlighten us.
"Prettyboy"? Oh Foster, you are so straight aren't you? I agree with your last point, if the film means more people reading his work, it's a good thing.
@The Defeatery: My bad. I thought one thing but typed another. Absolutely fine to be flippant about it: not a typo I'm proud of. But it does seem like yesterday, no? It still makes me enormously sad to think about.
@Foster Kamer: I didn't quite realize that September 12 is coming up until I read this post. It's almost embarrassing how sad I got about the death of a guy I never knew personally--although, in his case, I feel like his readers knew him through his writing.
Thanks for the post. It's good to know there's a DFW fan at Gawker.
some of his short fiction would be better suited to film- Brief Interviews seemed the lightest of DFW's fare. "Mister Squishy" would cause riots if well adapted to the screen.
@Flippyjack: Well, maybe. But does anyone else now wonder if the relentless self-excavation that went into the Oblivion stories was a sign that DFW was already approaching the ultimate, rather quickly?
Whenever I finished one of those stories, I just wanted to wander around my apartment for an hour in the middle of the night, not doing much of anything except thinking. I can't help wondering what it was like to write them, and whether what came next for him was completely unrelated.
@skahammer: Agreed. "Good Old Neon" is just eerily prophetic. Meanwhile, I've found that many of the Brief Interviews stories, especially "The Depressed Person," all but induce depression in me when I read them.
Meanwhile, there are all kinds of clues-- scattered throughout Infinite Jest and his other writing, going way back to the stories he wrote in college--that he had intimate knowledge of suicidal ideation. He described that state as accurately as any writer I've encountered, which in retrospect makes his death seem inevitable. Which is just plain shitty.
Spencer Morgan did a killer interview for Mean magazine with Krasinki about "Brief Interviews With Hideous Men" back in the summer of '07. We so killed on this but lo and behold, it's not available online. Sadsville.
I'm full of skepticism! I mean, the book was so suited to its form. The absence of the questioner from the text, the footnotes, the quizzes... and what is Dominic Cooper doing here, and a plot?!
With that said I will go to see this as soon as I can just on the off chance that it's a fraction as great as the book.
Because I LOVE Krasinski's wonderfully heartfelt anecdote, I will root like hell for this film to be so irresistible that it will broaden DFW's audience.
I was just thinking about this the other day when I was rewatching Heathers. You don't see young men with darkness clearly in their hearts the way you used to. Or if you do, they are a bully or esoteric artist type. Maybe it's a Columbine thing.
♪ There's a place in the world for the awkward young man
With ironic t-shirts and one liners in hand
He refuses to speak up and mumbles his lines
He is scrawny and weak and overly kind
And his girlfriend's so out of his league, it's obscene
Is Michael Cera the man of anyone's dreams?
But he likes to be known as the awkward young man... ♪
This post is just so offensive. Who would have thought that Defamer would be criticising men for not being "masculine" enough. Teasing Michael Cera for not having genitals because, what, he's skinny and plays shy quiet characters.
And you seem to believe that women aren't receiving real pleasure unless they submit to a dominant male with a six pack whose not afraid to beat up on you.
Are you at all self-aware of the gender sterotypes you are perpetuating?
@Brad Nguyen: Most of the thoughtful, sensitive boys I know, who are frustrated about this kind of thing, only wanna date girls who look like Zooey Deschanel, Kristin Stewart or Natalie Portman. The ones who don't, secretly harbour crushes on Megan Fox or Jessica Simpson... This is kinda painful for the thoughtful, sensitive, less striking girls. I just wanted to point out the potential raging hypocrisy here. Also, get a sense of humour.
09/08/09
09/06/09
Also, I can say *I'm* superior because I've seen this movie already and you haven't. Nyah nyah nyah!
(Don't hate me. I swear I'm a nice person most of the time.)
09/07/09
She was allegedly supposed to be the prism through which we experience the confessions in the book. Did that change in the final version? Please enlighten us.
09/07/09
09/06/09
09/06/09
09/06/09
09/06/09
09/06/09
09/07/09
Thanks for the post. It's good to know there's a DFW fan at Gawker.
09/06/09
09/06/09
09/06/09
Whenever I finished one of those stories, I just wanted to wander around my apartment for an hour in the middle of the night, not doing much of anything except thinking. I can't help wondering what it was like to write them, and whether what came next for him was completely unrelated.
09/06/09
Meanwhile, there are all kinds of clues-- scattered throughout Infinite Jest and his other writing, going way back to the stories he wrote in college--that he had intimate knowledge of suicidal ideation. He described that state as accurately as any writer I've encountered, which in retrospect makes his death seem inevitable. Which is just plain shitty.
09/06/09
Spencer Morgan did a killer interview for Mean magazine with Krasinki about "Brief Interviews With Hideous Men" back in the summer of '07. We so killed on this but lo and behold, it's not available online. Sadsville.
09/07/09
[www.givememyremote.com]
09/08/09
09/06/09
09/06/09
With that said I will go to see this as soon as I can just on the off chance that it's a fraction as great as the book.
09/06/09
09/06/09
07/30/09
07/29/09
With ironic t-shirts and one liners in hand
He refuses to speak up and mumbles his lines
He is scrawny and weak and overly kind
And his girlfriend's so out of his league, it's obscene
Is Michael Cera the man of anyone's dreams?
But he likes to be known as the awkward young man... ♪
07/29/09
That would be like a gummi bear getting it on with the Velveteen Rabbit...
07/29/09
07/29/09
And you seem to believe that women aren't receiving real pleasure unless they submit to a dominant male with a six pack whose not afraid to beat up on you.
Are you at all self-aware of the gender sterotypes you are perpetuating?
This is a fucking awful post.
07/29/09
Brad, I'd let you spoon me.
07/30/09
07/30/09
07/29/09
They should put me in movies. :P