Christina Ricci stars in this off-kilter darkish comedy about a sorority girl who falls in love with a disabled man and experiences a sort of awakening. I've been wanting to discuss this on CHUD for years but wanted to watch it again. For whatever reason, I love this movie and find some parts of it hilarious (which I believe is intentional, some have called the whole thing a "calculated lark").
I've heard some theories about the movie's second half which some think is a bit more heightened and fantastical than the first. These people think it's possible that although the scene is played like a joke, Carolyn really succeeds in at least putting herself in a coma or to sleep with her suicide attempt and dreams up the second half. There isn't much direct evidence of this and I think it's more likely that the tonal shift, if there is one, is more about Carolyn at first giving in a bit and then being unable to just as Pumpkin shows up anyway.
The other big debate is about the end of the film where Carolyn asks a question Pumpkin doesn't seem to understand and then looks back at the camera (sort of) with a strange look on her face before continuing off with Pumpkin. Most people seem to think she is expressing some last minute uncertainty and/or horror about what she's doing. I used to think this too, but that shot is kind of haunting really.
My newer theory, which some people share, is that it's kind of a last semi-contemptuous look at the world she's leaving behind. Carolyn thought the world was all beauty and perfection but finds out it's uncertainty, pain, and intolerance through an unlikely relationship. At this point, her course is set an she doesn't see to be doubting herself at all so I think she's mostly just giving a last look.
I've also heard people say it's sort of a challenge to the world, ie: the audience, in regards to the "appropriateness" of her relationship to Pumpkin. A lot of people have expressed anger at this movie for positively depicting a woman who "takes sexual advantage of a disabled man".
As fucked up as the characters are, never mind the premise, the MVP of this movie is Pumpkin himself who totally convinces you that he's a lot more than "special". When he tries to tell his mother that he's "not retarded" and "not special" I believe him. But do I want to believe him because otherwise what's going on is just too uncomfortable? The movie is ambiguous about Pumpkin's disability and there's a strong parallel between him and Carolyn in terms of whether or not their respective handicaps are the result more of their environment and their nurture (mostly derived from their mothers) than any interior nature. If read in this way, the film depicts two people rising above their "nature" and their "nurture" which might be a commendable thing.
In any case, this is a flick I wish more people would watch.
I've heard some theories about the movie's second half which some think is a bit more heightened and fantastical than the first. These people think it's possible that although the scene is played like a joke, Carolyn really succeeds in at least putting herself in a coma or to sleep with her suicide attempt and dreams up the second half. There isn't much direct evidence of this and I think it's more likely that the tonal shift, if there is one, is more about Carolyn at first giving in a bit and then being unable to just as Pumpkin shows up anyway.
The other big debate is about the end of the film where Carolyn asks a question Pumpkin doesn't seem to understand and then looks back at the camera (sort of) with a strange look on her face before continuing off with Pumpkin. Most people seem to think she is expressing some last minute uncertainty and/or horror about what she's doing. I used to think this too, but that shot is kind of haunting really.
My newer theory, which some people share, is that it's kind of a last semi-contemptuous look at the world she's leaving behind. Carolyn thought the world was all beauty and perfection but finds out it's uncertainty, pain, and intolerance through an unlikely relationship. At this point, her course is set an she doesn't see to be doubting herself at all so I think she's mostly just giving a last look.
I've also heard people say it's sort of a challenge to the world, ie: the audience, in regards to the "appropriateness" of her relationship to Pumpkin. A lot of people have expressed anger at this movie for positively depicting a woman who "takes sexual advantage of a disabled man".
As fucked up as the characters are, never mind the premise, the MVP of this movie is Pumpkin himself who totally convinces you that he's a lot more than "special". When he tries to tell his mother that he's "not retarded" and "not special" I believe him. But do I want to believe him because otherwise what's going on is just too uncomfortable? The movie is ambiguous about Pumpkin's disability and there's a strong parallel between him and Carolyn in terms of whether or not their respective handicaps are the result more of their environment and their nurture (mostly derived from their mothers) than any interior nature. If read in this way, the film depicts two people rising above their "nature" and their "nurture" which might be a commendable thing.
In any case, this is a flick I wish more people would watch.
