Too Soon!

Friday night I went to the movies. I usually don't do this, but any time that Dennis Quaid and Hugh Grant are in the same two-hour film, I really can't resist. I got to the theater early, and before the previews even began, there was an advertisement for United 93.

According to Rotten Tomatoes, this is the bestest best movie ever made. According to the widows and mothers of those on the plane, they're just tickled pink that this movie has been made, that it's true to the events and people on the plane that was destined for the White House until the passengers mutnied and crashed the plane in Pennsylvania. This wasn't so much an advertisement for the movie as it was damage control. People have booed the previews of the movie, saying "Too soon!" to the screen as it plays. Some reviewers say that we need this movie to remind us, that we've become complacent in the past four years since 9/11.

I think it's too soon, and I was one of the people booing the screen. I think if we haven't sentenced the one guy who was involved who is still alive, it's too soon. If we haven't caught the head of the organization responsible for the attacks, it's too soon. The reviewer in the article I quoted above cites people not booing Michael Moore's documentaries as an example of what rubes we are, but that's different. Moore's documentaries are documentaries. They are not fictionalized accounts of events-- he uses real film to prove his point. Moore's documentaries are also about things that are happening now-- our violent culture, or our ineffective administration. Yes, terrorism is still a threat, and United 93 wants to remind us. But this is in the news every day. As a country, we're still figuring out how this happened, why it happened, and how we can prevent it from happening again. I don't think a fictionalized story will advance the debate. It seems like an attempt to make money off our confusion, and it sits badly with me. I mean, when Schindler's List came out, people had their panties in bunches about that, and it was released fifty years after the holocaust. We need time to process this shit before we have to see a Cover Girl ad about how they gave the stars that "fresh-faced terrorist victim" look. Too soon to mix Hollywood with tragedy.

Many of you will disagree, and that's fine. But, as Annette said, thanks for reminding me of one of the worst days of my life, Hollywood. I'm not ready to live it again. Using my mind to imagine the choices those people made is bad enough.