MovieChat Forums > Young Adult (2011) Discussion > Mercury a 'small town' ??

Mercury a 'small town' ??

posted 12 years ago by frailty03
16 replies | jump to latest

It had a mall, lots of chain restaurants and major businesses. Didn't look that 'small town' to me. Sure it would be much smaller than Minneapolis, but the town I grew up in was only about 4,000. We had a Dairy Queen and small mom-and-pop businesses and that was about it.

If they were going to make such a big deal about how she went back to her small town, the one she hated and was so proud to have left, it should have been a much smaller town, a more hick 'townie' town. You know, the type that some people, like Mavis, would practically kill themselves to get out of.

Just my opinion. I just thought Mercry looked like any decent-sized burb. Not small or backwards enough to inspire so much loathsomeness by Mavis.

Save a life...adopt a homeless pet.

[–] MarianasTrench 12 years ago

I think that's what it once was... it shows all these new places to show how long she'd been away. Hence the Staples, KFC, etc. It also shows she went to a small town hick bar (Woody's) and then Buddy wanted to go to the newer place. Not sure why the writers would choose to have the town grow so much but I don't think that's what it was when she was there.

[–] frailty03 12 years ago

Yes, I remember when she's driving to Woody's that first night, and as she's passing the Staples, the KenTacoHut, etc, she is looking at them all with disdain. Almost as if she was ticked that the town grew a little more 'in with the times.'

Save a life...adopt a homeless pet.

[–] Kompressor_Fan 12 years ago

I guess it's all about perspective. I grew up in a city with a population of about a half million. I remember people complaining that we lived in a 'small town.'

Years later, I live in a city with 5 million living in the metro/surrounding areas...and what do you hear? Well....to hear some speak.....we are 'small time' because we aren't as big as NYC, Chicago, or Los Angeles. Go figure!

Perspective.

[–] TheDirtyLollipop 12 years ago

Yah I think it used to be a lot smaller than it was when she went back.

It's part of the theme of everything moving on but Mavis, even her formerly small "hick" town.

[–] NeedysBoy 12 years ago

What TheDirtyLollipop wrote...

That's right!

"Maybe it's another dimension. Or, you know, just really deep." --Needy

[–] swim_chic_7709 12 years ago

I laugh when people say "Oh i grew up in a small town". Yeah, ha! Try living in a village, surrounded by other small villages. The "town" my high school was in had only 481 people in it. Now that's small. I believe we had a gas station and one ma and pa pizza place between 5 different villages. Took us 30 minutes to drive to the nearest city.

Granted it's somewhat larger now, since people had children and people moved from the nearby cities. They added another gas station, subway, dunkin donuts and a small ma and pa grocery store. Wooohoo!
Mommy to Louis! *September 6, 2006*

[–] TheDirtyLollipop 12 years ago

Hah, I admit that all throughout my school days I thought I was from a "small town" when it's really a decent sized suburb, I realized this when I went to college and met kids from real small towns like yours who set me straight lol.

[–] 12 years ago

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[–] interrupting 11 years ago

I think the town expanded. The hotel, KFC, mall, etc were probably built on the outskirts of this small town. When Mavis' mom finds her, it looks like she's walking on an old small town "main street" that's probably not that popular anymore.

"What world are you living in? I don't need friends. I need fans."

[–] otter 11 years ago

Actually, I kind of thought she was staying in a different, nearby, larger town. One with good clothing stores, hotels, and anonymity.

When in Mercury she was careful to look like a million bucks, but where she was staying she dressed like a slob and ate alone at the KFC, without being afraid that someone from Mercury would see her like that.

" Jack, you have debauched my sloth! "

[–] kmb7947 11 years ago

I think the town grew since she'd been there last, but also her disdain for the "small town" also shows her level of delusion. She really wanted to be better than everyone else, but she didn't stray too far from home. Instead of going to NY or LA to become a writer she stayed in Minnesota and went to Minneapolis. And instead of becoming a big-time writer, she settled for ghost writer. She was always a bit "off" in her perception of herself compared to the reality of her situation. Also, I think the growth of the small town only highlighted her lack of growth as a person. She never really moved on.

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] michaeltrenton 11 years ago

Also, I think the growth of the small town only highlighted her lack of growth as a person. She never really moved on.

I think that is spot on. She came back expecting to find the same, but instead she came back to a place that had developed. Both the town and its people had changed. Sadly, she had not.

People move to where the jobs are.

NOT move to a place and hope to find a job there.

Untrue. I agree that the majority of people move to where the jobs are (especially in todays economic climate and difficult job market), but many move because they want a change of scenery, a fresh start, new impulses, want to live in a city not a small town (or the opposite), living the dream and so on...

.

[–] robynkash 11 years ago

This was one of the few poorly done aspects of this movie. The Mercury we see doesn't look like a hick town at all. I don't think it's because it had grown since Mavis left - I think it was due to poor choices in filming locations. Much of the movie is filmed near me in Westchester/Rockland counties NY. These locations are suburban outskirts of NYC. That's what they look like - not a "hick town" as Mavis describes it.

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] liscarkat (18589) 4 years ago

If it has a big Macy's and a large chain bookstore, it isn't a small town.