Getting to the truth quickly

Mr. Bookworm took umbrage when, ten minutes into The Constant Gardener, I walked off, saying it was pompous, irritating and (because I knew from the movie reviews that the main point was evil corporations sucking African life blood), silly.  The trigger for me was when the lead female character, in the movie's first minutes, launched in a deranged, hysterical attack on the Iraq War, coupled with sobbing pleas for the UN's legitimacy.  The fact that the lead male character fell in love with her at that moment made it patently clear that this movie was a propaganda film, not a movie.

Mr. Bookworm felt I was making a snap judgment and not giving a critically acclaimed movie a chance.  Two hours later, to his credit, he admitted that he regretted watching it because it was "moronic."  He said after a good start, the movie got stupid, and then veered into polemics, followed by a confusing pointless ending.  

By the way, if you check out the reviews (I'm picking the New Yorker and the he New York Times), you'll see that, while they labor to praise the movie itself, what really impresses them is the movie's political point about evil corporations sucking African life blood.  

All I can say is that I spent my two hours much better than he did, since I was reading a wonderful book about Dolley Madison.

Talking to Technorati: Constant Gardener, Dolley Madison