Completely atrocious !!!
-
EMBYEYE — 15 years ago(September 30, 2010 03:32 PM)
So you wanted to talk to the makers of this atrocious film, well here's your chance. I directed this film and co-produced it and would like to point out a few things which I believe you might find interesting. First off is your contention that the film has a racial perspective. Of course it is possible that the film can make a statement about race without the filmmakers intending to do so. But if you think about the film making process I think you will come to realize that the purpose of the film was to make a statement about these characters' personalities and actions regardless of their race. If we are guilty of stereotyping, which I would confess we are, it would be in the representation of the gay character, Banks. As far as MJ, you must understand that the script was written at least a year before the film went into any type of preproduction/casting. And that the character was not written with any type of racial background in mind, and in reality was a compilation of a few real people that all happened to be white. During the casting process we saw many actresses of all types, races, etc. We chose Rae because we felt she had the best combination of power, guile, innocence, sexuality added to the fact that she was smokin hot. Not once did we consider the fact that she was of mixed race and how this would be perceived given the fact that her character was messed up. Perhaps we were naive, but we were not in any way making a statement about race. Can't an actress of color play a messed up bitch without the filmmakers being accused of racial insensitivity?
As for your other contentions, you may think what you like, but given the fact that the writer is a woman and a feminist, I have a hard time seeing your point that we felt MJ had it coming to her with respect to the rape. As numerous characters point out, she was at times a bitch and a slut, but nonetheless, she never deserved to be raped. If we did not get this point across to you then we failed as storytellers. But I think if you watch it again you will see that we make this point very clear. As for your other issues, Frankie (the social worker) is not married and leaves her beep of a boy friend once she learns that he cheated on her. Also, she never was in the hospitalit was her artist friend that was shot in the drive-by. I confess that this plot line is ham fisted but I now have 20 years of perspective to see that it could have been handled in a more elegant way, but remember, drive-bys were very real in those days and very scary to all of us who abhor violence. I don't think I can change your mind about this film but to the filmmakers this is a story about the follies of youth, narcissism, and friendships. We are proud of how it came out because we know what was in our hearts and how hard we struggled to make it. We don't expect everyone to love it but we do expect a fair reading of the film without being accused of biases that we never possessed. Thank you for your response because in the end, outrage is better than silence and it gave me a chance to explore these issues again after all these years. Feel free to respond or not. I hope you find these thoughts helpful.
Matthew
P.S. I have no pets, but my wife and I have 2 wonderful sons, the oldest is 21 and was just a little guy during the making of this film and my wife was pregnant with our youngest during the production. -
EMBYEYE — 15 years ago(February 09, 2011 04:04 PM)
I know this might sound completely stupid, especially to the few, but very vocal detractors of the film, but the filmmakers of WHEN THE PARTY'S OVER are batting around the idea of doing a sequel to the film, twenty years later, using the same, albeit older castmembers. To answer your first question, no we don't think Sandra will be in the film, but we will write her a small part and maybe, just maybe, we can convince her to give us a few days which would be really cool. When we first made the film, the idea that I wanted to explore was no matter how old you are at the time (at the time I was in my early 30's) when you look in the mirror you still see someone who feels like they felt when they were 18. But with the onset of young adulthood, it was necessary to push back those youthful ways and grow up and into the waiting world of adulthood. Now that I'm in my mid 50's, I wonder if I have any better perspective on life and what does this perspective allow us to say about these characters we first portrayed in WTPO. Added to that the idea of seeing actors portray the same characters 20 years later, which I can't say I have ever seen before, makes me think that this might be a really cool project to undertake.
What do you thinkis this a valid undertaking or just a waste of time. Thanks for your responses.
Matthew -
FlyingToTheMoon — 11 years ago(June 22, 2014 07:54 AM)
Hi Matthew, Just wanted to say that this is the first time on IMDB where I've seen a director/producer reply to a poster's critique of a film. Very thoughtful response from you. It's too bad they never came back to reply.
Is a sequel still in the works? -
mvance-1 — 15 years ago(March 20, 2011 10:18 PM)
I caught the vanishing end of this film the other night on EPIX3, about a minute before the credits began to roll, and I'm just asking if the young woman driving alone into the Big City was Elizabeth Berridge's character? I've enjoyed her work all the way back to THE FUNHOUSE and find her to be a criminally underappreciated performer. Plus, she's cute as a button.
Don't take this the wrong way, but I'm sort of glad to have missed Rae's rape scenes. It's probably the antebellum chauvinism, I know, but I really really don't care for rape depictions even in fictional pieces. But that's my problem, not yours. Steve V. -
chas437 — 13 years ago(October 12, 2012 08:49 AM)
Well, The OP is right about onr thing, this film was/is atrocious. It was a commercial and critical disaster. I'm sure this is a film Sandra Bullock wishes would disappear. It was a probable career for Rae Dawn Chong, who never got a major role after this.
-
soap_luvr-2 — 11 years ago(April 23, 2014 12:44 PM)
Shame on you!!!! Your name should be "dirt BAG" instead of dirtbunny. I can't believe that you would write something like that. Of course, when you're hiding behind a name on a computer, I guess this is what happens.
I Love.ME!!!! -
FlyingToTheMoon — 11 years ago(June 22, 2014 07:58 AM)
Shame on you!!!! Your name should be "dirt BAG" instead of dirtbunny. I can't believe that you would write something like that. Of course, when you're hiding behind a name on a computer, I guess this is what happens.
Agreed, that was a disgusting and very offensive reply. -
saneman1 — 12 years ago(July 25, 2013 10:42 AM)
I didnt' see the racial aspect of that portrayal. I just think the characters were just boring and unlikable. I can handle unlikable, but boring is inexcusable. Maybe if I caught it early in the 90s, I would not have hated it as much. But with much better indie movies that followed this movie in the 90s, there is absolutely no reason for this movie to have a sequel.
I hate to burst the bubble of the director because he seems really earnest, but there is absolutely no way Sandra Bullock would do this sequel. About as much chance of her doing a Fire on the Amazon sequel.
Movies like Dazed and Confused or a Whit Stillman movie made around the same time period seemed to have aged a lot better.
Thisa movie actually has more of a TV mvie than an early 90s indie movie feel. -
chas437 — 12 years ago(September 17, 2013 08:35 AM)
Yeah, not much point in a sequel, when nobody knows the original exists. Would the original ever have been seen had not Bullock become a star?
Fire on the Amazon, LMAO!
"For dark is the suede that mows like a harvest" -
radargirl-1 — 10 years ago(June 09, 2015 03:28 AM)
There are so many things wrong with your post that I can't even and begin to explain. Did you watch the movie? I guess will just mention a few things
That couple was not married they were engaged.
Sandra not only pay for her rent paid for her friends rent.
friend came up to MJ when she was crying at the end of tried to comfort her.
MJ was sleeping with her supposed friends boyfriend and he was a total jerk to both of them.
Sandra comfort of her afterwards they all did
The girl was never in the hospital her friend Mario was the one who died