You'll have to forgive me if I seem a little perplexed as to why critics found this movie so hard to swallow. After going to see it myself, with no prior knowledge of its content, I came out quite impressed by the actors and genuinely moved (though not to tears) by the storyline. It was not necessarily something that would make my weekend brighter, obviously, but it was thought-provoking and discussion worthy (if only to argue about what was/was not incendiary about the plot). As a matter of fact, I do have to say, that the only thing that I really found unbelievable and insulting about this movie, was the critic's treatment of it. I mean, I do understand that people have different opinions and I truly try to respect that; but to criticize this movie as being too melodramatic, with too many issues that "tries to borrow profound meaning"; and is (my favorite) a "shameless contraption of ridiculously sad things befalling attractive people", is a little more than ridiculous itself. Seriously, would it have been better if Tyler had been a large black high school kid from the ghetto, who made bad grades and had no place to live and was adopted by a rich white family? No, wait a minute, that was "The Blind Side". It's been done already; with much success and an Academy Award for Sandra Bullock I might add. Hmmmm...wait. I know. I know. How about if Tyler were an overweight, illiterate black high school student who was abused by her mother, raped and impregnated by her father (twice), and had HIV. Oops. No. Wrong again. That was already done in "Precious", which received critical acclaim for it's unrelenting horrors and an Oscar for Monique to boot.
Look, don't let the critics fool you; black people and pain/suffering don't necessarily = an inspirational, feel good movie; and white people and pain/suffering don't necessarily = unbelievable melodrama unworthy of your time. Suffering is suffering, and there are many forms of it. This has nothing to do with attractiveness (or the lack thereof), money, or trivial concerns. It's about what we do with the moments of our lives each day, every day. See for yourselves. Whether you like it or not, you'll definitely have something to talk about in the end.
Look, don't let the critics fool you; black people and pain/suffering don't necessarily = an inspirational, feel good movie; and white people and pain/suffering don't necessarily = unbelievable melodrama unworthy of your time. Suffering is suffering, and there are many forms of it. This has nothing to do with attractiveness (or the lack thereof), money, or trivial concerns. It's about what we do with the moments of our lives each day, every day. See for yourselves. Whether you like it or not, you'll definitely have something to talk about in the end.