Is Wendy and Lucy a Chick Flick?

    Wendy and Lucy portrays a woman surrounded by poverty that must overcome adversity as a result of economic and authoritative issues. Wendy and Lucy is not a chick flick in my opinion. When I hear the phrase chick flick, immediately I think of movies where a girl and a boy meet, break up, and eventually get back together and live happily ever after. This loose personal definition in no way describes Wendy and Lucy. Wendy, struggling to support Lucy while trying to fix her car and purchase food, in no way seems dependent upon another person. Whenever I watch a chick flick there is always a common theme of reliance. Sure Wendy wants to have Lucy back in her life, but Wendy is willing and able to realize she must find her own way before she can support the life of Lucy. The movie ends with an open ending, unlike a traditional chick flick in which the two main characters would end up sailing off together or getting married. Instead, Wendy leaves Lucy behind and travels to Alaska leaving the film's ending open for infinite possibilities. Of course the majority of the audience watching this film would love to see Wendy end up with Lucy, but this is what makes the film that much more appealing and "countercultured."

The "Nameless Man"

O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) is a film that takes place in the American south during the time of the Great Depression. A scene that really stuck out to me occurred during the first few minutes of the film. Everett, Pete, and Delmar encounter an African American man riding some sort of transportation device on the railroad tracks while running away. The man works for no one and has no name, but he does have some interesting words to say that really stuck out to me from the moment I heard them.  The “nameless man” tells the three men they have a great fortune to seek, though it will not be the fortune they intend to seek. The man continues by telling them they will seek a cow on a cotton house and that they should continue following the road to salvation. After the conversation is over, the camera begins to back away and form a long shot of a lengthy stretch of railroad tracks. I think this really resembled the long journey the three men had ahead of them.

            This scene did not completely make sense until the movie carried on and the Soggy Bottom Boys found their fortune and were saved by a flood that then lead to the scene of a cow on a roof. In my opinion, this scene really set up the way for the entire film. Although the nameless man only made one appearance-excluding the final scene- he was an essential part to the film.

My Own Private Idaho's Shakespeare Correlation

      My Own Private Idaho (1991), written and directed by Gus Van Sant, portrays the lifestyles and struggles of Mike and Scott, two male hustlers located in the Portland area. It was not until after I had read Adnum's article and some google searches that I learned Gus Van Sant used a pretty interesting cinematographic element in his film, My Own Private Idaho. The film is a representation of Shakespeare's Henry IV and Henry V that takes place in the 1990's as opposed to the era of Henry IV and Henry V. Hal, a reckless prince hoping to follow in his father's footsteps to become the next King represents Scott, while a minor character Poins, represents Mike. Scott, like Hal, is a reckless character who eventually attempts to change his unacceptable ways in order to make something of himself. Unfortunately, I have not read Shakespeare's Henry IV and Henry V so it is hard to go into a lengthy comparison of Shakespeare and Gus Van Sant's work. I think it is fair to say that Gus Van Sant illustrated some use of Shakespeare's work , but he also created a fresh film by taking something historical and applying the story to a modern film.