The Descendants

Beau Bridges was so good in this movie!

I hate the holidays. Let’s just say they make me anxious, with no agenda, nothing you have to do but relax…and that’s so hard to do. But I’ve been hearing songs on the radio that have sent me back to holidays past and put a smile on my face.

Wednesday night it was "Summer Breeze". I LOVE the stinging guitar! And it was a hit over Thanksgiving… You know how it is, you come home from college, drive around in the station wagon visiting all the old haunts with the radio on…

And then today I heard "Snoopy Vs. The Red Baron". Which brought me back to one of the first years skiing in Vermont, over Christmas. My younger sister was infatuated with Snoopy and had such a wild sense of humor, the car warmed up whenever this song came on the radio.

And we just heard "Green Tambourine" on XM. Stupid lyrics, dated sound, but the feel is just incredible. It’s what "Hair" tried to present, a feeling of being in it together and opportunity. The sixties were all about it getting better, isn’t that what the Beatles sang, whereas now all the news is bad and there’s no opportunity for young graduates and we’re all worried someone else is gonna take our food or our chance, we sleep with one eye open.

ANYWAY, I just have to remark how great Beau is in this movie. Jeff is the famous Bridges brother, he’s overshadowed Beau’s work, but despite barely being in this flick Beau’s so spectacular your jaw drops in awe. He inhabits the character. He plays against type. He’s a smart alcoholic with an edge. He’s not really a nice guy, then again, maybe he is. He’s complicated, he’s three-dimensional, just like a real person.

Just like Albert Brooks in "Drive".

I can’t recommend either of these pictures, but these performances are so incredible, they’re both deserving of awards. Brooks also plays against type. He’s serious, he’s a gangster, albeit one dressed in Southern California casual clothes.

It all comes down to the writing. And that’s what disappointed me in both of these movies, neither of which I can recommend, there wasn’t enough plot in "The Descendants" and in "Drive", there wasn’t enough conversation whatsoever.

But both looked incredible.

But both are going to lose so much on the small screen.

All that money spent on look, yet what’s underneath is unsatisfying.

It’s like those records made with famous producers and layers of sound with so-so songs underneath. Whereas a great song doesn’t require much, look at Nirvana.

And maybe Beau and Albert are like great players on a mediocre record. But what thrills me is they’re both older than Bieber and Selena and so many of what passes for stars today, young nitwits, but they keep getting better, their experience shows, it’s a treat to be exposed to their greatness.

That’s what thrills us, greatness, exceptionality. When we experience it we feel completely alive. Watching Beau Bridges on screen just now I couldn’t wait to tell you.

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