There is one horrible, outdated message that this movie is sending to its young audience: how to treat your partner when shit hits the fan.
Maybe I shouldn't put this movie as the sole target on this topic - since there are many movies with a similar plot line - but it really bothered me that this movie is targeted for kids. Sure, Frozen (2013) is a much more popular film that has plot issues with the dealings between the sisters, but the one in Rio 2 bothered me a hell lot more.
There are many plot lines on this movie, which they were all fine to me - cliched and all, but bearable. The one plot line that really pissed me off was between Blue and his partner Jewel. So, we start the movie with Jewel missing her natural habitat. Once they find out there are more birds of their species, they both agree and go out to search for them - all fine.
As the movie progresses we see Blue feeling he is being left behind, but he goes on and tries to fight for his partner's acknowledgement. He fails time and time again, as he feels that he is getting beat by Roberto, the awesome bird. At some point Blue gets upset and comfronts Jewel over this issue, and what does she say to him? "fuck off back to where you came from". Yeah, that's all she does; maybe she felt a little sad? What a pathetic effort.
But it doesn't end there. She wouldn't have done anything about it. She would have let him go, sulk a little about it, and then simply move on. No, the one that has to do everything is Blue. He has to go back, get enough strength to save Jewel and the species, and only then does she take him back. Did she ever say sorry? I don't recall, I think she did... To add more salt to the wound, the movie makes it that there is an interest by Jewel towards Roberto, and this portion is "happily" ended once we find out that Roberto is not the perfect bird that was first portrayed as. It makes me think that's the only reason why Jewel's interested died - now if what I just wrote is not accurate, that Jewel's affections towards Roberto was that of just friends; well, the damn film did not make that clear!
So, I get that maybe Jewel told Blue to fuck off because she felt sad for him, and she felt that all he wanted was to go home, and she is torn about it... really, all these "feelings" bullshit, so fucking weak of a point of argument. Why didn't she sit with him and talk this through, but no, she shows very little care for her partner through all this - except of course the sad face.
Is this the message that this movie gives kids about relationships? If someone that you say you care about gets in your way of your own whim, get rid of them? Or is it that if your confidence is down, do not count on your life partner - oh no. You must do it on your own, and prove that you are good enough, and only then... unless if there is a rival, and he is as perfect as his image, then you're fucked.
In closing, this is not a sexist review where I am attacking women by calling them weak or twatty because lord knows I need to get laid - a reference to Bill Burr. You can switch the genders on these two (which would actually not feel right). No, this is a complaint about the poor portrayal of dealing with a serious problem within a relationship, and it is handled so poorly that it caused me to write this.
No comments:
Post a Comment