Bridges and Lebowski in NYC

It is a major week for Jeff Bridges fans and Jeff Lebowski fans alike. The former just released his self-titled debut album. The latter is a fictional character of course, brought to life in the Coen Brothers’ film “The Big Lebowski” which is celebrating its 10^th anniversary with a Blu-ray DVD release.

Lebowski Fest, which originated in Kentucky, is also taking place in NYC this week where fans come dressed as their favorite characters,  or, the characters they most aptly resemble. There was no shortage of Walters, Dudes, Maudes and Jesuses at Chelsea Piers last night where the first night of Lebowski Fest kicked off with a bowling party. Go to the Lebowski Fest website to find out when the fest is happening in your town.

Walking into a bowling alley filled with multiple versions of the film’s characters probably elicits the same brain activity that is found in a child entering the Harry Potter exhibit. It’s magical. In a more fortunate magic place, a White Russian wouldn’t cost $9 but, still, with unlimited bowling, a costume contest and trivia at a reasonable price, I was able to abide and purchase a few.

Unlike most places in NYC, the LF crowd isn’t clicquish. Arriving late with only one other friend in tow, I had to find a lane so I could roll. I ended up with the cable repair man and a couple of other guys. The crowd was diverse despite their likemindedness and from all parts of the US (Iowa, California, Oregon to name a few). The real Liam was there too.

Tonight marks night two of Lebowski Fest and it is going to be as epic as the film has become. Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Julianne Moore and John Turturro will participate in a Q&A before the screening of the film. This reunion is an historic one, man.

And, let’s not forget about Jeff Bridges’ album featuring original songs and covers. The stand out for this listener is “Maybe I Missed the Point” written by John Goodwin. Rosanne Cash and Ryan Bingham appear on the album. Bingham, you might remember, wrote (with T-Bone Burnett) and performed “The Weary Kind”, Crazy Heart’s burdensome theme. Burnett produced this effort and out of 4-stars, I give it a solid 3 as a critic but 4 as a fan of an artist of whom I could not be a greater admirer. “Falling Short”, written by Bridges is another track to pay attention to, especially since he penned it himself.

This is a great week to be in NYC, to be a fan of Bridges and Lebowski, man.

The Help

If I recommend "The Help", I have to recommend both the film and the book (by Kathryn Stockett). I think the film is more entertaining if the book is read first if only for the experience of knowing ahead of time about the "terrible-awful" housekeeper Minny (Octavia Spencer) committed. When I first read the book, I thought about how that particular scene would be executed in a film and  it was done even better than I imagined.
I'm not saying with the scene entails because I do not want to spoil a delicious (maybe that is a poor word choice?) scene for any one who has not read the book. Anyone who has will know exactly what I mean.
The book and film look at the stories of black domestic workers in Jackson, Mississippi before the Civil Rights Movement disallowed segregation. Jim Crow, "separate but equal" ideas and prejudiced behavior were rampant. Skeeter (Emma Stone), a recent college graduate returns home to Jackson to find that the woman who raised her (not her mother but her black nanny) was no longer working for the family, the friends she grew up with have gotten married and essentially become their own mothers and that she has aspirations for greatness. She is too humble to be searching for fame but she wants to be a writer in New York City. In a rejection letter from Harper Row, she ignores the part that says she does not have the job and instead embraces the part that says she has potential and needs experience. She looks for the experience at the local newspaper where she begins writing the housekeeping advice column. On the encouragement of the editor at Harper Row, Skeeter decides to write about Jackson from the perspective of the nannies and what they think and feel in raising white children. What comes, through struggle, are striking stories that though fiction somehow ring remarkably true.
The Help is unique in talking about the South and America during what is still a very difficult and disconcerting period of our history, from the perspective of the people who were marginalized. Granted, many African-Americans have been critical of this story because ultimately there was still a white character at the center of it but I think they are missing the point. The result is one of the only black-centric films of the year and a story that brings new faces to a new generation. I wish The Help was part of the curriculum when I was in school and I wish that for more than one reason.
Skeeter no doubt got her persistence from Constantine, her nanny, who truly gave her value when her mother only and it seems unknowingly worked to strip that value away. In fact, this is the second theme in the book, after the obvious one regarding race.
Abeline (Viola Davis), the first nanny to speak to Skeeter and the narrator of the film, provides what to me are the most important words of dialogue in the film or the book, when she speaks to Mae Mobley the chubby little girl she takes care of as her mother touches her maybe once a day and it otherwise too busy to be bothered.
Every day, Abey tells little Mae Mobley, "You is kind. You is smart. You is important." She instills value in the girl. This is value beyond the way she looks. This is the same thing Constantine did for Skeeter. The most poignant and tear-engaging parts of the film were those where a young girl was given self-worth. They are those moments where some people in the audience may be realizing their own self-worth.
I think this story, if allowed, can change people. It can change people's relationships with children, change the way children are raised and change again the way people see color. For me, this story was ultimately about valuing each other as human beings and moving past the visible surface. It is still hard to believe there was a time when the color of one's skin was more important than the content of their character. It is hard to believe even now but only a two weeks ago a racial comment was made by a Congressman against our President.
The Help is a work of fiction, yes. The Help is also thought provoking, tear-jerking and beautifully cast.
Viola Davis stops the air in the room at times. She is perfect. Remember her brief but impacting role in Doubt? Be thankful that she is on the screen so much more of the time in The Help. The entire cast deserves mention and all I can do it implore you to see it. Oh, and when you do, don't skimp on the tissues!