Author Topic: I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS  (Read 61852 times)

Offline Jeff Wrangler

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Re: I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS
« Reply #160 on: January 01, 2011, 03:19:41 pm »
I don't read newspapers on line, so I wasn't sure about this, but I checked this out.

Here's the web address for the on-line version of the Philadelphia Gay News for anyone who is interested:

http://www.epgn.com

Click on the "Opinion" tab, and then click on "Mark My Words" to read Segal's entire commentary on ILYPM.
"It is required of every man that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide."--Charles Dickens.

Offline delalluvia

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Re: I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS
« Reply #161 on: January 01, 2011, 03:57:39 pm »
Not to go all OT here, but we could probably devote an entire thread just to a discussion of how "true" movies that are "true stories" really are. ILYPM is not, after all, a documentary.

Yes, but I also read the book.  The movie scenes pretty much holds true to what the book said as well.  I mean you could also argue that what Russell says in the book is also untrue, the author had his own doubts -

one of my favorite quotes from the book - I need to put it in the favorite book/movies quotes thread, or maybe I already have? - is when the sheriff of Harris county says "If Steven Russell tells you the sun is shining, I suggest you go outside and see for yourself if that big yellow thing that hurts your eyes is in the sky."

 - so the author also checked records, interviewed members of law enforcement, Steven Russell's family, friends and Phillip Morris and pretty much corroborated most of what Russell claimed.

Not to say the movie wasn't Hollywoodized, obviously they always are in some way or other, but for the most part, it's pretty close.  I think Segal just wanted to air his grievances about gay movies in general and made ILYPM his scapegoat even though it doesn't really support his stance.

Offline delalluvia

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Re: I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS
« Reply #162 on: January 01, 2011, 04:06:38 pm »
I don't read newspapers on line, so I wasn't sure about this, but I checked this out.

Here's the web address for the on-line version of the Philadelphia Gay News for anyone who is interested:

http://www.epgn.com

Click on the "Opinion" tab, and then click on "Mark My Words" to read Segal's entire commentary on ILYPM.

Thanks for the link.

Segal says ILYPM hit a 'sensitive' spot, but I think he means it hit a sensitive spot with him.  

GLAAD fully endorsed the movie.

IMO, this review is just Segal being unhappy that Steven Russell lived a 'swishy gay' lifestyle and that he got a movie made about his life.  It seems Segal is embarrassed and focusing on exactly what the movie makers didn't.  Segal is playing into that media phenomenon that we mentioned way back in this thread where minorities in movies start off being stereotypes, then move into the 'saintly' phase before moving into the 'reality' phase.  Segal apparently still wants gays to be in the 'saintly' phase so they can play well to Mid-America.  His problem is that in reality gays aren't any more saintly than anyone else.  True equality means to come across on the silver screen and in real life just as good or just as bad as everyone else without ramifications.  ILYPM jumped straight into the reality phase where the characters being gay wasn't what the movie was about.  I suggest Segal learn to deal with the natural course of things.  

Offline SFEnnisSF

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Re: I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS
« Reply #163 on: January 02, 2011, 05:15:56 pm »

Segal says ILYPM hit a 'sensitive' spot, but I think he means it hit a sensitive spot with him.  



Bingo!   


MAJOR SPOILERS, DON'T READ IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW:

I have another friend who saw the movie and was really upset about his "faking his death from AIDS for a few laughs".  I had to explain to him that that was not written in there "for laughs", but  it was what ACTUALLY REALLY happened, and made him take a look back and see that the movie was actually very serious about it.  He was fine with it once we talked.  But sure, seeing folks dying from AIDS can certainly strike a cord with people who were there in the '80's and saw all of their friends die.  It's kind of like how there were a few women on the IMDB boards who just could not get past the fact that "Jack and Ennis were cheating on their wives", no matter how you expained it to them.  That's what had perhaps happened to them in the past, and that's what  they brought to BBM and that's what they got out of it.

Again, I think Segal brought his hopes to ILYPM expecting some gay rights movement film like MILK or BBM or something, and because he did so, I'm sure that's why he was disappointed.