"Special" People In Movies.

Okay, I've had it.

With the recent release of Radio the think this is becoming a disturbing trend.

Don't get me wrong, there have been recent movies I really enjoyed.

What's Eating Gilbert Grape and Rain Man for instance.

But Hollywood has went to the well once to often.

It started to bother me when Marlee Matlin won a Oscar for
Children of a Lesser God.

In the film she plays a deaf woman who falls in love with her teacher.

What a stretch, she's really deaf.

It seems like a movie has come out every year since then with a sympathetic "special" character.

Sorry, I'm not shedding any tears anymore.

I actually think Hollywood should be applauded for making movies about “special people”, as you labeled them, as long as they are tastefully done… otherwise ignorance would prevail …

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It started bothering you back in 1986, and you're still spending your dough to see more films about people who are handicapped?

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What about all of those Farrelly brothers movies and Adam Sandler?

I think both are good. A mature society is one that can appreciate both the humorous and somber aspects of such a thing. I like the fact that both Forrest Gump and There's Something About Mary are widely hailed as being good films.

I never spend my dough to see these movies.

I use to see them on T.V., but you won't catch me watching I Am Sam.

By the way are you really a Mercyful Fate fan?

Those are the most responsible ones in my opinion, because they're the most socially inclusive. Those movies say 'hey, we're all in the same boat' and aren't condescending at all toward their handicapped characters. Something like I am Sam, however, is just cheap exploitation of people's weaknesses. It's much easier to get a reaction if you have a retard taking pratfalls, like Sean Penn in that movie, instead of a straight protagonist doing the same things. Rain Man is a dreadful example of this.

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**** the Lakers!

Presenting a character as a "special person" does bring realism into a film. I do agree with you both
Though , whether it's I am Sam, Rain Ma,Radio or even There's Something About Mary -- tastefulness must be the FIRST thing in mind, before any humorous thoughts comes to mind.

King Diamond is still God, isn't he?

I'll have to go with Steve on this one. Firstly, it is easier to get the sympathy of the audience with a Forrest Gump character than a "normal" character. It's like an adult kid. Secondly, it is "easier" to play handicapped people like this because they have a lot of stereotyped and very distinctive behaviours in Hollywood. So what the audience thinks is a stand-out performance by the actor is actually a walk in the park for most of them, compared to other more subtle roles. (See De Niro in Flawless or Awakenings or Crowe in A Beautiful Mind)

Since I work with handicapped people every day I can tell you that a big bulk, if not the biggest bulk, of handicapped people are not very likeable at all. It is not exactly like you hear violins playing when you are being called "YOU ****ING ******!!!" just because I wont let someone stay in that someone's urine drenched bed or because I am not giving that someone money. A lot of handicapped people are very very nasty at times, even if there are some people that have golden hearts and would never harm a fly. But there is no question about that Hollywood stereotypes these characters, just as they do with most other things.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. That's a good film about people "with problems".

That's so funny. I was thinking of King Diamond as a new avatar yesterday. Can't say that I'm a fan, but he looks so damn funny.

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The novelist does not long to see the lion eat grass. He realizes that one and the same God created the wolf and the lamb, then smiled, "seeing that his work was good".

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They had temporarily escaped the factories, the warehouses, the slaughterhouses, the car washes - they'd be back in captivity the next day but now they were out - they were wild with freedom. They weren't thinking about the slavery of poverty. Or the slavery of welfare and food stamps. The rest of us would be all right until the poor learned how to make atom bombs in their basements.

Piddy, I'm sorry to hear the handicapped people you work with are not very likeable. I'm sure it's hard to deal with....my mother in-law was like that towards the end, so I do understand where your coming from. But there are alot of high functioning cases out there that aren't like that either. Sounds like you need a hug.


I agree with you Cait. I would like to see more movies dealing with people that have special needs. I think it would help people be more sensitive and understanding towards others in need....instead of callous and self-centered.

Personally, I would love to see an honest movie (or high-profile documentary) on how a family might cope with a child...or parent that has a special need. My son has Aespergers/Autisim. He was two when I placed him in an early intervention program through the school. The teachers, parents and other students (all with different needs...some were heartbreaking) I've met would all have a fascinating story to tell. Not just in 'lets feel sorry for these people', but admiring the patience and selflessness of the teachers and the effect they have on the kids,......how parents may deal with their situation differently, and how it may affect other parts of their lives and the strength they need,...and of course how frustrating it can be for the kids. I think the key would be to make the audience understand and to feel more sensitive...not to just have pity.

Also....I'd love to see a movie that deals with how a family might cope with an elderly parent that has special needs...whether it's physical or mental like Alhemizers. Iriswas done with taste, but I felt only scratched the surface of the subject.

my favorite was 'julian donkey boy'.

'forest gump' didnt do anything for me and seemed a bit far fetched to boot. i liked 'sling blade' a little bit more.

does 'the straight story' count? if so that's up there for me too.

what of 'shock corridor' and 'the king of hearts'?

all very good games.

Damn Piddzilla, sounds like you have a tough job!

Maybe this will help cheer you up.

As long a a movie does not try to pass itself off as nonfiction, when it is not, I think everything is fair game. Alot of subjects are explored in the area of entertainment, so we must remeber that. If we can enjoy a movie about aliens bursting from chests, then certainly our imagination can handle a movie portraying a handicapped person. I think alot more movies than most of us think have at some point or another portrayed someone with a handicap be it mental or physical. That being said I do not even know how a handicapped person may feel when they watch a movie that may tug a nerve, so their thoughts and ideas would be more important to me than my own or others that are ,for the most part, healthy.

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Oh no, I didn't mean to complain like that. Almost all of the people that I work with are very nice and funny and make me laugh. But all of them have nasty sides that are not being shown in Hollywood movies. And with a few of these people you really have to focus and really lift up the tiny things that can be positive with them, because they are so nasty or so hard to deal with. I was more complaining about Hollywood than about my job.

Can I have that hug anyway??

I agree with Cait too. But I would like to see more nuanced films about "real" handicapped people instead of treating them like cute and a little stupid puppies.

I agree with all the rest that you wrote, Annie.

WWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOAAAAAHHH!!!!

Thanks, Loner!!!

"A disturbing trend" if you had a child or family member who is "special" then maybe you would want them to be portrayed as a person, who through NO FAULT of there own were born with some type of handicap.

I think the more of these movies the better, the community is made up of all types of people, one a year doesn't sound like to much to me.

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How do you know I don't have friends or family with disablities?

Maybe we should exclude people that weren't born handicap, like friends of mine injured in car wrecks?

As far as one film a year, that would be great!

The studios could hold a lottery to see who gets to make the film; and then find an actor desperate for an Oscar, a writer that appeals to a large demographic, and a director good at manipulating an audience.

I'm tired of movies about 'Special' people, the whole genre has been done to death and Ill die before I watch "I am Sam".

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You are right, I don't know if you have friends or family with disabilities, Sorry for leaving out people who are disabled by whatever means, No one asks to be disabled.

I agree with Aniko, It would be better if the movies were about real people instead of the hollywood feel good s**t.

I misunderstood what you disliked about the movies, depicting "special" people, and hey I'm with Sidewinder i won't go and see "I Am Sam"

Correction - You'll die before you see "I am Sam"