MovieChat Forums > Out of the Furnace (2013) Discussion > Worse than bad...STUPID!!!

Worse than bad...STUPID!!!

posted 11 years ago by tobydammit-2
47 replies | jump to latest

Like many people here, I would agree that this was a very poor film with an incredibly bad ending. What was really stupid was the idea that there is "inbred" dangerous trailer trash living in Bergen County, NJ! Bergen County, NJ is one of the most affluent counties in the United States, largely populated by wealthy professionals who work next door in Manhattan. The small parts of the Appalachian trail that reside in NJ are completely commercialized for Boy Scouts and yuppie hikers and the only people who live there are those wealthy enough to build their own homes by these magnificent views. By what ignorance and disregard for realism does the filmmaker want to place characters from Deliverance into this elite suburb? It's like the filmmaker wanted so badly to emulate elements of The Deer Hunter and Deliverance that he just randomly decided to make up a completely ridiculous claim about an upscale suburban New Jersey area. Obviously there are much dumber people in Hollywood than there are in NJ!

[–] writinman2004 11 years ago

What's stupid is your post.

[–] tobydammit-2 11 years ago

Aren't you the clever one, and a man of very few words. Can't you back up what you say?

[–] Toby_gibson002 11 years ago

Acting is make believe. I suppose some people have a hard time grasping that.

[–] 11 years ago

[deleted]

[–] ganjafor420 11 years ago

I agree.

[–] johnny-407 11 years ago

This movie is pure ridiculous trash. "Acting is make believe"- thank goodness for the opinion of a rocket scientist out there.

[–] Toby_gibson002 11 years ago

Hadn't read all these responses until today. Kind of glad that pretty much EVERY OTHER RESPONSE concurred with mine. Have a great day, Johnny.

[–] lewnatic 9 years ago

Just because some replies are the same as your do not make your opinion correct.
That would be called confirmation bias.

[–] Hopefoot 11 years ago

The Jackson Whites are an old NJ legend. But apparently they're real enough to sue for slander according to ABC. I'll not explain further, Google is your friend.

[–] dickmarvel 11 years ago

The thing is -- nobody outside of NJ knows these details. I thought they were in WV for half the film. It really didn't matter where the setting was. There are poor, one-factory towns in every state.

[–] AidaClarkfield 11 years ago

The Ramapo Mountains where the JW's are supposed to be from, are in Bergen County. I guess it's not entirely affluent. Still, kind of a let down of a movie.

[–] thepredator 11 years ago

This matters very little since most of the world has no idea where is New Jersey entirely. Also it is not a documentary.

[–] Drevnibor 11 years ago

This matters very little since most of the world has no idea where is New Jersey entirely. Also it is not a documentary.

I completely agree with you.
I'm from, what you'd call ''most of the world'', and I had no idea where the movie is set.
In fact, I didn't really care where the movie is set.
I didn't even know it was New Jersey, until I saw this thread.
A small town in a hilly part of America could be anywhere, for a non-US man like myself.

Now, I'm not saying that the location is not important for any film.
For example, the film 300 is set in Greece, in the pass of Thermopylae.
That IS important for the story, because the actual historical battle (upon which the film was loosely made) was fought there.

But then we have a film like The War of the Worlds (any version).
It has aliens invading Earth...
...and to be honest, I have no idea in what state or town it's set.
All I know is that we are following a family from the US, on the run from the alien invasion.

That's what I like in films like Se7en.
It's a crime-mystery film, set in a nameless big city.
Just a big city.
Is it New York, Los Angles, or maybe Chicago?
It doesn't matter - the story only requires a big city.

=UNDERRATED FILMS=
http://www.imdb.com/list/OpdE-nAVa5k

[–] Narcissist00 8 years ago

Yep, I was thinking the same when I read this post, I'm from England so have no idea about America at all apart from what I see in movies.

[–] pd78w 11 years ago

My former sister-in-law was a social worker for Bergen County. She had an assignment to the Ramapo Mountains and encountered these people. She described them as very scary, looked inbred, and refused to ever visit another client in that area. It wasn't worth the risk. This was back in about 1977. I don't know if times have changed, but the so-called Jackson Whites at least existed at one time. I know, hard to believe, since that area of northern NJ is more known for it mega-mansions. But my sister-in-law swears by her story.

[–] TheMisanthrope 11 years ago

My wife is from the Ramsey area (which is part of Bergen Co) and knew some of the family members that are mentioned in the film when they were young.

They were dirt poor, suspected of being inbred, and had to have their home burnt down by the town because it was so filthy with garbage and attracting vermit. As a matter of fact, when talking to her about the controversy around the film, she mentioned their last name, without me having to do it(she hasnt seen the film).

Yes this was years ago, and I cant attest to whether those families are still there.

I know the area very well, and while yes, it has been mostly built up since the 80s, there are still alot of farmland out there. The back roads from Mahwah, near the NY/NJ border, into Sussex,= full of farmland.

DeGroats home that we see in the film is not far fatched at all. Theres alot of land like that in the area.

The film mentions Bergen county, but they should have mentioned how it was on the border of Sussex, which would have given the idea of being a bit more rural (west of Mahwah/Ramapo/Ramsey) and not so Paramus.

"God Hates Us All"

[–] blackbrown 9 years ago

Thanks for sharing this info. I'm glad I stumbled upon this post. I thought the poster arguing that this movie is inherently bad because they failed to scout their location adequately was being silly and partisan. It has been a few years since I have seen this but I liked it very much when I watched it. I just watched Black Mass, which led me to this thread (in a roundabout way).

Although it's easy to suspect that the actual location impresses itself on the story, it's not necessary to have an adequate opinion about it. It really doesn't matter to me if this story was based on any truth and, prior to reading this thread, put no mental energy into the topic. After reading your post and a few of the other positive posts (and seemingly informed) has enhanced the movie positively for me.

This is what communal exchange is all about. This particular movie may attract some vocal detractors for some reason, but the part of its audience who liked the movie express themselves nicely.

[–] jbhartley14 11 years ago

prof/SHNOZ Jeez. SO... How much land IS your family developing in Bergen Co? You could put up a sign maybe. NO INBRED WHITE TRASH HERE!!! Personally I don't give a rip where it was filmed. I enjoyed it and thought the performances were outstanding. And yes, those crazy peckerwood tweakers are everywhere. Even in(gasp!)NOO JOISEY!!!