I chose to show this film in my Intro to Film class based on a recommendation of a friend, a veteran, who said it was a must-see. I had not viewed it myself ahead of time, which led to my wife (also a university professor) telling me, "You're an idiot."
After I made the commitment by posting its title on the class website, I decided to read some reviews, which resulted in my having that sinking, oh-god-I-really-picked-a-dud- this-time feeling.
With this dread I cued up the DVD player. But by the time 92 minutes had elapsed and the credits were on the screen, that dread had been replaced by the satisfaction that I had chosen perhaps the perfect film for this class at this time. Why?
First, virtually all the issues that were present in 2007 when the film was released are today still present: The Afghanistan war, the threat of a nuclear Iran, the integrity of election year politics, the responsibility of the press, the question of academia being a rich kid's playground vs. a disadvantaged kid's chance to get a leg up, and more.
The only two things that have changed in the last five years are that the Iraq war has ended and Osama bin Laden is dead.
So for the students this film was more than pertinent, particularly the discussion between Robert Redford's Prof. Malley and the wise-ass-smart but slacker student Todd (played by Andrew Garfield), which threads, along with the two other story lines, throughout the film. In reality, Malley and Todd are asking the same question but with different pronouns. Malley: "What are you doing here?" Todd: "What am I doing here?" Totally relevant to today's college student.
Because this is a presidential election year, the film also hit the students on another front: Okay, so the system isn't perfect, perhaps even broken, but should I care? If so, should I do something about it? Should I even vote?
And even though most of the students have had no contact with military life, there are a handful of veterans (I would guess) and certainly some ROTC members among the class's 100 or so bodies. For them, there is another level of engagement.
I think many of the initial criticisms of the film were based on the fact that, by the time it was released, pretty much everyone in the country had already formed their opinion on the Iraq war and were sick and tired of hearing about it. Even though the film was not about the Iraq war, it was not-so-subtly critical of its origins and its ongoing drag on the country's psyche.
In sum, although the film is talky, it covers a lot of ground and a number of themes very apropos to first- and second-year college students. The film may not entertain the heck out of you, but I guarantee that it gave every single one of my students something to think about when they went home.
Oh, by the way, like with most films I show, I took an informal poll afterward of whether the students liked it or not. All but one gave it a thumbs up. I praised that lone dissenter for having the guts to admit he didn't.
After I made the commitment by posting its title on the class website, I decided to read some reviews, which resulted in my having that sinking, oh-god-I-really-picked-a-dud- this-time feeling.
With this dread I cued up the DVD player. But by the time 92 minutes had elapsed and the credits were on the screen, that dread had been replaced by the satisfaction that I had chosen perhaps the perfect film for this class at this time. Why?
First, virtually all the issues that were present in 2007 when the film was released are today still present: The Afghanistan war, the threat of a nuclear Iran, the integrity of election year politics, the responsibility of the press, the question of academia being a rich kid's playground vs. a disadvantaged kid's chance to get a leg up, and more.
The only two things that have changed in the last five years are that the Iraq war has ended and Osama bin Laden is dead.
So for the students this film was more than pertinent, particularly the discussion between Robert Redford's Prof. Malley and the wise-ass-smart but slacker student Todd (played by Andrew Garfield), which threads, along with the two other story lines, throughout the film. In reality, Malley and Todd are asking the same question but with different pronouns. Malley: "What are you doing here?" Todd: "What am I doing here?" Totally relevant to today's college student.
Because this is a presidential election year, the film also hit the students on another front: Okay, so the system isn't perfect, perhaps even broken, but should I care? If so, should I do something about it? Should I even vote?
And even though most of the students have had no contact with military life, there are a handful of veterans (I would guess) and certainly some ROTC members among the class's 100 or so bodies. For them, there is another level of engagement.
I think many of the initial criticisms of the film were based on the fact that, by the time it was released, pretty much everyone in the country had already formed their opinion on the Iraq war and were sick and tired of hearing about it. Even though the film was not about the Iraq war, it was not-so-subtly critical of its origins and its ongoing drag on the country's psyche.
In sum, although the film is talky, it covers a lot of ground and a number of themes very apropos to first- and second-year college students. The film may not entertain the heck out of you, but I guarantee that it gave every single one of my students something to think about when they went home.
Oh, by the way, like with most films I show, I took an informal poll afterward of whether the students liked it or not. All but one gave it a thumbs up. I praised that lone dissenter for having the guts to admit he didn't.