Torino Success = No Nommies
Clint Eastwood and his latest film Gran Torino are being honored tonight by the Santa Barbara Film Festival. (It’ll be my last SBFF event as I need to return to L.A. tomorrow morning.) It led me, in any case, to some quick surfing and this S. James Snyder Time piece that ran on 1.26. Three days ago!
“At some point this week, Gran Torino will pass the $100 million mark, easily surpassing the box-office receipts brought in by not only some of the Oscar front-runners (Slumdog Millionaire now totals $56 million, Milk $21 million) but also Eastwood’s last Oscar winner, Million Dollar Baby.
“‘It’s an amazing story that no one’s really talking about,’ says Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst with Hollywood.com. ‘For a movie starring a 78-year-old to have a $29 million opening weekend in wide release, and in the process to beat out the likes of Anne Hathaway in Bride Wars, I don’t know if I’ve seen that before. It’s a testament to how people still feel about Clint Eastwood.”
“Originally released Dec. 12 in only six theaters and hyped by Warner Bros. as a major-awards contender, the film won Eastwood early recognition by the National Board of Review as Best Actor, but that’s been the exception to the rule. At the glitzy Golden Globes, Gran Torino was mentioned in just one category: original song. When the Oscar nominees were unveiled last week, Gran Torino was shut out of the competition completely.
“It is certainly one of the least likely blockbusters in some time. Starring Eastwood as a crotchety widower living in Detroit’s Highland Park neighborhood — a veteran of the Korean War who eyes his Hmong neighbors suspiciously and launches into racist tirades when provoked — Gran Torino was filmed on location in a mere five weeks on a slim budget of $35 million. The majority of its Hmong characters were played by nonprofessionals. In addressing such tumultuous issues as racial strife, gang warfare and urban blight, it can hardly be categorized as escapist entertainment.
“The film confronts issues that are very timely, from racial violence to economic struggles. It’s a working-class world that we may not see all that often in blockbusters, but it’s something a good many people can relate to,” says Karie Bible, an analyst with Exhibitor Relations.
“Surely Eastwood could not have predicted, when he first set out to make the film, that Detroit’s economic woes would be making national headlines by the time Gran Torino arrived in theaters (his character is a retired Ford assembly-plant worker), nor that the movie would be launching into wide release the same day the U.S. government released the darkest unemployment report in 16 years.
“Audiences, though, have embraced the film’s realism. Bible’s firm projects that the title will soar north of $150 million before it leaves theaters — making Gran Torino the biggest haul ever for an Eastwood film. By then, it may well pass the box-office totals posted last year by such summer tent poles as Mamma Mia!, The Incredible Hulk and Sex and the City.
“‘Slumdog and The Wrestler are these Cinderella stories that have overshadowed Gran Torino, and yet here is another Cinderella story all its own,’ Dergarabedian says. ‘You look at Eastwood, and here he is directing Changeling, which got Angelina Jolie her Oscar nomination, and starring in this blockbuster where he proves again that he’s one of the biggest box-office stars. To become a leading man again at 78, I think it’s a story that’s unparalleled in cinema.’
“Eastwood has been quoted as saying that this could mark his last outing as an actor. If that’s true, he will be going out on top.”
Usually, even if I hate a film, I can understand why some people like it.
I can’t understand how anybody likes Gran Torino.
Because you can hear yourself fart during it.
Massey -
The whites love Eastwood. We also take guilty pleasure in seeing all types of racism on the screen.
Josh – For me it’s because Eastwood is just that much fun to watch in the movie. I would love to see Walt in a movie as long as ‘Che’.
Also, I think it’s bringing in an older crowd, that doesn’t feel like Hollywood makes movies aimed at it. There were a lot of movies in the past few months dealing with aging in all different ways; this seems to be the one that clicked with the older crowd, possibly because the director has actually lived it. [Er, aging, I mean.]
I can’t understand how anybody likes Gran Torino.
That can be said for any movie. I liked for the father and son relationship. I liked the ending too and got very emotional behind it.
I can’t understand how somebody can’t understand that lots of people like GRAN TORINO…I liked it a lot, but it is not Oscar worthy, but neither is Benjamin Button, a movie I did not like, but I can certainly understand how others might like it.
I guess Massey has never seen a movie made before 1990.
I saw Gran Torino one week after its wide release in a small theater in Owosso, MI. Owosso’s about 20 minutes from Flint and legend has it they had an unofficial policy of stopping all blacks who drove through town.
The crowd roared at Eastwood’s xenophobic lines. I’d guess that few were laughing an an ironic “Wow, that’s a really bad thing to say” sense, and many more were laughing in a “Yeah, Clint, tell ‘em!” sense. Reminds me of one reason of why Dave Chappelle shut down his show — he felt that too many people were laughing at the jokes in the wrong way.
I enjoyed the movie and was moved by it. Yes, it’s hamhanded. Yes, some of the acting is awful. Yes, Clint seems to insert the scenes with the Hispanic gang and the African-Americans just for a full bit of ’round the world spite (though I think the scene with the black kids actually resonated deeply, speaking of the various layers of acceptance and history of various minorities). Yes, the ending provides a very weak dispensing of justice that any decent defense lawyer could puncture. And yes, Clint always parks his Ford pickup across the sidewalk on his driveway, which would make him a grade A a-hole in my book.
What did I like? Clint, first and foremost. There are a few “Clint as hero” shots, and they resonate deeply. I liked the simplicity of the film. I liked a house and a kitchen without granite countertops or copper pots hanging from above. I liked a broken sidewalk, a mangy lawn, and rickety gutters. And yeah, I liked the Gran Torino.
This movie is probably making a killing with NASCAR fans and others of the Wellsbane brood.
I must say though that the kid who played the priest in the movie put me on insta-TILT every time he walked into the goddamn frame. Horrible actor.
And the Hmong son was an awful actor too.
But put those aside and the movie is very enjoyable. The old birds in my theater LOVED it.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Eastwood. Hell, I find myself watching Space Cowboys when I come across it flipping channels. I just couldn’t get into this film – the acting was among the worst I’ve ever seen in a major Hollywood release, and I busted some blood vessels rolling my eyes so far back at the ending.
And Prager, nice to see you’re making as much sense as usual. At least you’ve got consistency going for you.
Gran Torino is a fun movie. It’s not perfect but it’s extremely entertaining, often times hysterical, and extremely quotable. Eastwood is amazing in it and it’s got a helluva ending. The film should’ve gotten an original screenplay nod. Here’s what that category should look like:
Gran Torino
Rachel Getting Married
In Bruges
Synecdoche, NY
Happy Go Lucky
I really don’t understand a lot of the negativity aroun these parts to Gran Torino. I just don’t get it. I know I am not retarded and I know PLENTY of people who flat-out LOVE the film (even more than I did) so I know I’m not wrong. What is it exactly about this film that pisses so many people off?
I really wish Paul Dergarabedian would shut the fuck up. People supported “Gran Torino” because Clint announced this was probably going to be his last film as an actor. We will, sadly, have many more opportunities to see Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson in crappy romantic comedies, so there is no rush to see Bride Wars.
Shame Gene Hackman couldn’t have gone with something better than “Mooseport.”
“What is it exactly about this film that pisses so many people off?”
Most of the performances are lousy, the script (other than the dialogue) is really cliched, and the ending really only works in a meta way (it’s a surprise how it goes because you know you’re watching Clint Eastwood), it doesn’t actually make a whole lot of sense… so I can totally understand why people wouldn’t like it. I can’t understand not enjoying watching Eastwood in that role, mind you, but I can understand how it’s not enough to make it “good” to everybody.
People supported GRAN TORINO because they saw Eastwood, a gun and a car and some gang members. It’s an unbeatable combination. Whether they liked it or not, I don’t know, but they bought a ticket. And the oldsters coming out in droves for this is legit. Watch any Samuel Fuller movie, or any 50s B-movie. Lots of bad acting, silly plots, etc.
Massey, my apologies. For the record, Josh Massey has seen the following pre1990 movies: TRON, SOLARBABIES, TOY SOLDIERS, D.A.R.Y.L. and WHITE WATER SUMMER.
“Yes, Clint seems to insert the scenes with the Hispanic gang and the African-Americans just for a full bit of ’round the world spite”
I think it was a really smart choice to have the first people he hated be his white trash family; it softened his racism up a bit, and made him seem more like a straight-out misanthrope rather than a hardcore racist.
Wasn’t ‘Toy Soldiers’ 1991?
Gordon27, not that I’m a big fan of “white trash”, but it’s important to note that his family isn’t classic “white trash”. They are spoiled, suburban, overly insulated whites.
Good point, though, about his universal hatred. Was his wife a saint or an idiot?
Gordon27, not that I’m a big fan of “white trash”, but it’s important to note that his family isn’t classic “white trash”. They are spoiled, suburban, overly insulated whites.
Sounds like the Massey family.
Doug – fair point, I probably should’ve said “trashy white people” (thinking specifically of his granddaughter). In fact, I would say that Walt himself is probably closer to stereotypical white trash, no offense to anybody who loves sitting on the porch drinking cans of Pabst.
White trash or not, sitting on a porch drinking cans of Pabst is what I aspire to.
Toy Soldiers kicked ass. Yes, it was 1991, but forgive Prager for relapsing into his Sean Astin fetish. (Never mention Like Father Like Son around him unless there’s a shower nearby.)
Oooooh Sean Astin! I eagerly await his portrayal of Blago in the TNT movie. TOY SOLDIERS is 1991? Shit. I was thinking of some other movie, I think. Some movie with some kids on a boat or something. Something with William Zabka maybe.
People bought into the hype for this movie for one simple reason: everyone thinks it’s Eastwood’s last chance to an honest to God Oscar and not the gold-watch version.
But the film is nothing more than a standard boiler plate film with one of Eastwood’s hammiest performances in years. Unforgiven was his last original turn that legitimately deserved a Best Actor nod.
“Unforgiven was his last original turn that legitimately deserved a Best Actor nod.”
I was by no means a fan of ‘Million Dollar Baby’, but I thought it was as good a performance as Eastwood ever gave. This one is more fun to watch, but there’s not a whole lot to it. It’s entertaining because of how close it skirts to self-parody — if ‘Gran Torino’ were a movie the Simpsons went to see, it would’ve been exactly the same as that except it would’ve been called “Get Off My Lawn”.
THE RESCUE!
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095981/
That’s the movie I was thinking of!!!!!!!
P.S. Gordon27. Give it a rest, will ya?
In fact, I would say that Walt himself is probably closer to stereotypical white trash, no offense to anybody who loves sitting on the porch drinking cans of Pabst.
hey, that’s not white trash!!! it’s also brown trash… I like sitting on the porch, shooting the breeze with the neighbors, and drinking cheap beer.
‘Gran Torino’ is a piece of trash, that’s why it earned no nominations.
If I want to watch a race-relations drama with GOOD performances, I’ll watch ‘The Visitor’ — you can keep your ‘Yum Yum’ movie. Go watch Tao when he’s locked in the basement, it’s the worst movie moment of 2008.
“hey, that’s not white trash!!! it’s also brown trash… I like sitting on the porch, shooting the breeze with the neighbors, and drinking cheap beer.”
Yes, but — and this is the most important part — do you buy it in cans, and drink straight from the can?
I live the dream every summer night – except I prefer the Yuengling
“‘It’s an amazing story that no one’s really talking about,’ says Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst with Hollywood.com. ‘For a movie starring a 278-lb. man to have a $29+ million opening weekend in wide release, and in the process to beat out the likes of a 3-D horror flick, a canine children’s comedy and a dead Rap star biopic, I don’t know if I’ve seen that before. It’s a testament to how people still feel about the obese.”.
The script to this movie is the major culrpit. The priest scenes almost feel pasted in, as if the screenwriters had no idea how to drum up interest other than have him show up and provide instant conflict.
The film is not “bad,” but it is not worthy of an Oscar. For once, the Academy got it right.
The article is overblown, but it does bring up a valid point. Can anyone think of any other actor who has remained an top box office draw as a headliner in his late seventies? It really is unprecedented.
In fact, I would say that Walt himself is probably closer to stereotypical white trash, no offense to anybody who loves sitting on the porch drinking cans of Pabst.
hey, that’s not white trash!!! it’s also brown trash… I like sitting on the porch, shooting the breeze with the neighbors, and drinking cheap beer.
CitizenKanedforChewingGum: Why the hell wouldn’t you drink canned beer from the can? It stays nice and cold, has that slight aluminum tang and aerates nicely when you pour it in your gob. I’ve never understood why anyone would pour cold beer into a warm glass. And if you chill your glasses… well, how you drink your beer’s the least of your problems.
Wells, I never thought I’d see you running a piece that quoted Dergarabedian this much.
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after them. But my feet would not touch the ground, and I was
forced to stay on that pole.
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