In the recent Hollywood film
blockbusters, audiences witness clichés accompanied by problematic messages.
The movie industry targets various audiences, trying to teach a lesson or get
people thinking, although the message is not always valuable. One such example
of a movie with a distorted, inappropriate sentiment is The Hangover, a film about a wild bachelor party in Vegas. This
comedy teaches my generation, the young leaders of tomorrow, that vulgarity,
promiscuity, impulsivity, and destructive behavior is all fun and games.
As previously mentioned, the plot of The Hangover is about a bachelor party
in Vegas and the film focuses on drinking, drugs, and gambling. When watching
the film, the recently popular cliché, “Y.O.L.O.,” popped into my head. “Y.O.L.O.”
is an acronym for the cliché “you only live once.” In general, I believe this
is a very great, inspiring message, as the words motivate people to live out
each day to the best of one’s abilities and to have fun. I believe my
attachment and belief in this message stems from my upbringing in a rightest,
conservative family. Louis Giannetti, author of Understanding Movies, argues that in a rightest family, right and
wrong are clear-cut and violations of moral principles and rules result in
punishment (412). I completely agree with this assessment, as I recall the
times I misbehaved and was punished to learn a lesson, as well as set an
example for my younger sister. For the Barber household, family is a sacred
foundation and institution, filled with people encouraging others to do and be
the best that they can be.
My family shaped me to feel this way
about the message, “Y.O.L.O.,” but The
Hangover tainted the meaning of the wonderful sentiment, placing the
message into a negative light. The audience views the bachelor party taking
“Y.O.L.O.” to a whole new level, as seen when the men wake up the morning after
the bachelor party without any recollection of the night before. One man has a
missing tooth, the thousand-dollar hotel room is trashed, Mike Tyson’s tiger is
in the bathroom, and an unknown baby cries in the closet. Giannetti would
characterize this film as a neutral movie, in which “issues of right and wrong are
treated superficially with little or no analysis” (403). However, when there is
no analysis of the message, kids learn to mimic these decisions and chaos
ensues. Although the movie is hilarious and ridiculous, there needs to be a
line drawn. In Everything’s an Argument by
Lunsford and Ruszkiewicz, the authors state that humor in an argument puts the
audience at ease, “thereby making them more open to a proposal” (48). Since the
movie makes fun of the men for their crazy antics, the audience is more willing
to listen and watch the movie without judgment. Then, when the movie is over,
the audience will delve in the idea that what the men did was funny and
plausible, and then they will go engage in various shenanigans, possibly
resulting in lasting consequences.
In addition to the morning after the
bachelor party scene, the audience witnesses an encounter between the men and
some cops after the men stole the cop’s police car the night before. The men
have no remorse for their actions and they are not punished for their
recklessness and endangerment of other’s lives. Giannetti states that the
audience sides with the men in situations like these, as “people who are funny,
charming, and/or intelligent” win us over to their side (406). The characters
in the film attract the loyalty of the audience, as the loyalty stems from the
character’s comedic situations and stories, as well as their dashing
appearances and sex appeal.
The studio uses pathos to bring the
emotions out of the audience and make the people more open to the movie. The Hangover does this by using humor to
target my generation, the college kids and young adults in America, who are
looking for a good laugh. The sentiment, “Y.O.L.O.” is beneficial in the sense
that it is okay to have fun and let of steam and not keep everything bottle up.
However, the film sends off a message that people can drink, gamble, be
promiscuous, do drugs, and life will be fantastic. This message is effective
because Americans see the film become reality. It is no wonder that foreign
countries denounce American actions and way of life. However, people do not
always get away with this lifestyle and the consequences can be devastating.
These consequences include fines, warrants, jail, and possibly death.
Although this film is intended for a
mature audience with the “R” rating, the people who watch the movie are not
always mature. Kids sneak into these movies and then engage in such activities,
not thinking before they act. Adolescents thrive to gain peer approval and be
“cool,” so they engage in risky behaviors. As long as people watch the film with
a rational mindset, the movie is a great comedy that America loves. However, I
fear for my generation, as many mimic these shenanigans and find themselves in
sticky situations, harmful to themselves and to society.
For the ruining
of a beneficial slogan and the message the film sends to the population:
(2 out of 5)
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