After finally listening to it ever since I saw the movie in the theatres, I can't help but feel that it's completely awkward and hypocritical in more ways than one.
Okay, starting from scratch, when Olivia wakes Vi up and tells her (Vi) that she's (Olivia) is going to the bathroom (aside from the fact that Vi noticed Olivia wearing shoes), Vi doesn't want Olivia to leave. I cannot understand why. But then, when Vi confronts Olivia at the elevator, the awkwardness gets started:
VI: Can you actually believe I'm gonna let you wander the streets alone? Something could happen to you.
OLIVIA: Like you care.
VI: And what's that supposed to mean?
OLIVIA: It means you hate me.
Yep, typical teenage mental facilities. However, that's not what this is about. Moving right along:
VI: Anybody would think you were dropped on your head. Get back in that room.
OLIVIA: You do! You hate me! Don't deny it!
VI: Now, look, I know Randy seems like the sun and the moon and the stars all wrapped up in one package right now, but look around you. Nobody ends up with the boy they liked when they were 16. You'll get over him.
How can she be so sure of that? There's no way that's even 100% accurate. We don't know for sure if a girl's gonna end up marrying the guy she had a crush on when she was 16. We have to let time and nature take their courses. As a mother, Vi should have considered that.
OLIVIA: This isn't about that! I told him I didn't wanna see him anymore because you made me! This is about me!
VI: Alright, why do you think I hate you?
OLIVIA: Lots of reasons.
VI: Name one.
OLIVIA: Because I'm pretty.
VI: Excuse me?
OLIVIA: Don't bug your eyes out at me! You hate that I'm pretty 'cause you don't feel pretty! I defended you to Randy, but now I'm just trying to cut through the bullsh*t once and for all! You know how sad that is for you to feel that way about yourself?
Still pretty typical. I sure can't defend the "you hate me 'cause I'm pretty" thing, but I am also baffled by this: "I defended you to Randy, but now I'm just trying to cut through the bullsh*t once and for all! You know how sad that is for you to feel that way about yourself?"
OLIVIA: You are the only one you hate more than me, and no matter how much you sing that old-time church music, God doesn't seem interested in helping you out with that!
Then Vi slaps Olivia in the face. Honestly, I'm on the fence on whether or not Vi had a right to slap her daughter. I know kids need to be spanked at certain parts in their lives, but was the slapping really necessary?!
VI: Don't bring God into your ugly, petty adolescent bullsh*t!
Now THAT really boggles my mind. What is the reason for THAT?!
VI: That's right, I can cuss, too. Bullsh*t, bullsh*t, bullsh*t! It's lazy and it has no class, but it's not very hard.
Do parents really need to cuss at their kids?
VI: You think I'm not pretty?
OLIVIA: I didn't say that.
And of course, not giving her daughter another chance to speak for herself, Vi starts to go into one of the most uncontrollable parental rants I've ever seen in film history:
VI: I am an incandescent, board-certified supermodel, baby. I happen not to flaunt it because I'm a married woman, and I would never disrespect my husband the way that you just disrespected me.
Boy, I really need to go a little deep into what that means, but still:
VI: As beautiful as you are, and you are indeed beautiful, I could hang mirrors all over the house if I wanted to just to look at myself.
Alright, now, I know this is somewhat unrelated, but that line kinda reminds of the Grinch saying "I could hang myself with all the bad Christmas neckties that I found at the dump!"
VI: I put one on the refrigerator just to watch myself eat all of them calories, and if I got a heart attack from all that food, I'd just give myself CPR, because I'm a nurse. That's right, I've saved lives, and that is definitely not bullsh*t!
And finally, the anti-climax of the rant:
VI: Now, look, I'm done talking to you for the foreseeable future, so my advice to you right now would be to get your behind back in that room, get back in bed, and you treat my snoring as if it were a Marvin Gaye love song! That's right, you respect my snoring, because it comes from exhaustion, okay? It comes from working hard to put food in you and your brother's stomachs and every stitch of clothes on y'all's backs! Get in that room!
And without speaking a word, Olivia heads back to their hotel room while Vi just stands there still looking pi$$ed.
Man, that was pretty harsh. And while we're at it, she really should have said "I'm done talking to you right now" instead of "I'm done talking to you for the foreseeable future" because, as far as I'm concerned, that's not what any decent parent would say to their kids, because in my mind, it sounds rather mean-spirited. Same goes to "get your behind back in that room". And, oh, yeah, how CAN you respect snoring, even when it comes from hard work and exhaustion?!
This is why I hate that whole scene and why it's so awkward: Vi's arguments are not 100% accurate, she doesn't give her daughter another chance to speak for herself when she (Vi) goes on her rant, she doesn't show any decency in her rant, she doesn't even TRY to calm down, and Olivia never begs Vi to calm down. After watching it all and telling y'all about it, I don't think I like Queen Latifah's character in this film anymore than I ever did.
After finally listening to it ever since I saw the movie in the theatres, I can't help but feel that it's completely awkward and hypocritical in more ways than one.
Okay, starting from scratch, when Olivia wakes Vi up and tells her (Vi) that she's (Olivia) is going to the bathroom (aside from the fact that Vi noticed Olivia wearing shoes), Vi doesn't want Olivia to leave. I cannot understand why. But then, when Vi confronts Olivia at the elevator, the awkwardness gets started:
VI: Can you actually believe I'm gonna let you wander the streets alone? Something could happen to you.
OLIVIA: Like you care.
VI: And what's that supposed to mean?
OLIVIA: It means you hate me.
Yep, typical teenage mental facilities. However, that's not what this is about. Moving right along:
VI: Anybody would think you were dropped on your head. Get back in that room.
OLIVIA: You do! You hate me! Don't deny it!
VI: Now, look, I know Randy seems like the sun and the moon and the stars all wrapped up in one package right now, but look around you. Nobody ends up with the boy they liked when they were 16. You'll get over him.
How can she be so sure of that? There's no way that's even 100% accurate. We don't know for sure if a girl's gonna end up marrying the guy she had a crush on when she was 16. We have to let time and nature take their courses. As a mother, Vi should have considered that.
OLIVIA: This isn't about that! I told him I didn't wanna see him anymore because you made me! This is about me!
VI: Alright, why do you think I hate you?
OLIVIA: Lots of reasons.
VI: Name one.
OLIVIA: Because I'm pretty.
VI: Excuse me?
OLIVIA: Don't bug your eyes out at me! You hate that I'm pretty 'cause you don't feel pretty! I defended you to Randy, but now I'm just trying to cut through the bullsh*t once and for all! You know how sad that is for you to feel that way about yourself?
Still pretty typical. I sure can't defend the "you hate me 'cause I'm pretty" thing, but I am also baffled by this: "I defended you to Randy, but now I'm just trying to cut through the bullsh*t once and for all! You know how sad that is for you to feel that way about yourself?"
OLIVIA: You are the only one you hate more than me, and no matter how much you sing that old-time church music, God doesn't seem interested in helping you out with that!
Then Vi slaps Olivia in the face. Honestly, I'm on the fence on whether or not Vi had a right to slap her daughter. I know kids need to be spanked at certain parts in their lives, but was the slapping really necessary?!
VI: Don't bring God into your ugly, petty adolescent bullsh*t!
Now THAT really boggles my mind. What is the reason for THAT?!
VI: That's right, I can cuss, too. Bullsh*t, bullsh*t, bullsh*t! It's lazy and it has no class, but it's not very hard.
Do parents really need to cuss at their kids?
VI: You think I'm not pretty?
OLIVIA: I didn't say that.
And of course, not giving her daughter another chance to speak for herself, Vi starts to go into one of the most uncontrollable parental rants I've ever seen in film history:
VI: I am an incandescent, board-certified supermodel, baby. I happen not to flaunt it because I'm a married woman, and I would never disrespect my husband the way that you just disrespected me.
Boy, I really need to go a little deep into what that means, but still:
VI: As beautiful as you are, and you are indeed beautiful, I could hang mirrors all over the house if I wanted to just to look at myself.
Alright, now, I know this is somewhat unrelated, but that line kinda reminds of the Grinch saying "I could hang myself with all the bad Christmas neckties that I found at the dump!"
VI: I put one on the refrigerator just to watch myself eat all of them calories, and if I got a heart attack from all that food, I'd just give myself CPR, because I'm a nurse. That's right, I've saved lives, and that is definitely not bullsh*t!
And finally, the anti-climax of the rant:
VI: Now, look, I'm done talking to you for the foreseeable future, so my advice to you right now would be to get your behind back in that room, get back in bed, and you treat my snoring as if it were a Marvin Gaye love song! That's right, you respect my snoring, because it comes from exhaustion, okay? It comes from working hard to put food in you and your brother's stomachs and every stitch of clothes on y'all's backs! Get in that room!
And without speaking a word, Olivia heads back to their hotel room while Vi just stands there still looking pi$$ed.
Man, that was pretty harsh. And while we're at it, she really should have said "I'm done talking to you right now" instead of "I'm done talking to you for the foreseeable future" because, as far as I'm concerned, that's not what any decent parent would say to their kids, because in my mind, it sounds rather mean-spirited. Same goes to "get your behind back in that room". And, oh, yeah, how CAN you respect snoring, even when it comes from hard work and exhaustion?!
This is why I hate that whole scene and why it's so awkward: Vi's arguments are not 100% accurate, she doesn't give her daughter another chance to speak for herself when she (Vi) goes on her rant, she doesn't show any decency in her rant, she doesn't even TRY to calm down, and Olivia never begs Vi to calm down. After watching it all and telling y'all about it, I don't think I like Queen Latifah's character in this film anymore than I ever did.
Any comments?
edited 11th May '12 5:22:20 PM by taylorkerekes