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Did this happen at your screening? (SPOILERS)

posted 10 years ago by Dr_Adam_Warlock
15 replies | jump to latest

In the scene in which James hit his wife (off camera), it seemed a bunch of people in the audience started laughing at that scene. Same also when he got angry and threw the telephone into the bathroom caused almost the whole audience to start laughing. Talk about inappropriate laughter. I know this wasn't a good movie anyway, but the idea that a man was physically abusing his wife isn't funny at all.

Did this happen at your screening as well?

BLACKOUT!

[–] JuanMosey 10 years ago

I got it on Redbox. FYI the same thing happened during Schindler's List when high school kids from New Haven CT saw it on a field trip. They were laughing when the Nazis were shooting Jews in the head.

Goddamit! Things ain't workin' out for me today!

[–] 10 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Hippo9 10 years ago

Cause Chadwick Boseman was a poor actor for that role. People laugh because they aren't taking his acting seriously since he was playing a caricature of James Brown rather than showing any acting depth.

[–] kaneforgov 10 years ago

That's not why people laugh at that time in the film. It has absolutely nothing to do with the quality of the performances.

[–] Hippo9 10 years ago

Actually it does. A great actor will pull you into the scene. Someone who is doing a caricature or is not serious in a serious scene is going to evoke the wrong response.

The director's partly at fault too. He was awful. The whole Ferris Bueller talking to the camera technique they used probably didn't help either. I'm a James Brown, Life moves pretty fast for James Brown, now hold on a second while I go beat my wife.

[–] kaneforgov 10 years ago

Wrong- people laughing at a scene of violence toward women is a reflection of the viewer, not the film.

[–] Hippo9 10 years ago

Launching into personal attack only weakens your argument.

[–] kaneforgov 10 years ago

Personal attacks? Where?

Thin skinned are we?

[–] BadSurge 9 years ago

What personal attack?

Instead of whining about a percieved slight, why don't you address Kane's point?

[–] bunnellius 9 years ago

I think the director / cinematographer is mostly to blame for this one. Chadwick wasn't even visible for the part that evokes the laughter so we can't hold him too responsible. :)

[–] shonoffilm 9 years ago

Chadwick actually did a great job, however, he did have to grow on me throughout the film. Initially, I thought he was miscast. James Brown had a unique look and Chad looked nothing like him. The makeup was bad. Reminded me of Meryle Streep in the Iron Lady which also had akward makeup. Chad did seem to grasp the spirit of James and the musical performances were on point. What was bad was the script. I thought the jumpy timeline would grow on me, but it didn't. The dialog and breaking the fourth wall were't good. The movie was fluff, it didn't dig deep and left me confused. It feels like I only learned a fraction of who James was.

[–] kokane7 9 years ago

Yea. I agree. When they started doing the breaking the fourth wall, I couldn't really take this film seriously. Like, they was ripping off Ferris Bueller. Or, when they tried to be serious it looked comedic. It was fine if they added a little laughs but it felt like a SNL skit. Nd yea, I felt I only learned a portion of JB. They should've went more deeper instead of making it a "family reunion" film. That's the problem, it should've been rated R. That's my opinion.

[–] bunnellius 9 years ago

I watched this part just now. The sobbing from the wife immediately afterward wasn't particularly funny... but the visual framing of the off-screen smack and even the impact of her character against the table was shot so comically that the whole scene misfires. I had to restrain myself from inappropriate laughter in that moment, as I guess many of those people in the audience failed to do. It has little to do with domestic violence actually being hilarious.
I'm not really not sure what I think of this movie. None of it ever quite feels 'real' to me (in the movie sense of real, that is...).

[–] necoleman 9 years ago

I am formerly known as HillieBoliday....Member since May 2006

Whatever ARTSY, FARTSY, essence the directors/producers thought they were going to bring to this film....failed miserably!

I think Chadwick Boseman did an amazing job with what he was given; he's a very talented actor.

The scene that's being referred to on this thread, was by no means laughable!

I immediately thought (in reality) how did she avoid serious injury from such a violent blow and fall. With that in mind....laughing was not an immediate thought....especially since I don't find ANYTHING entertaining about that kind of physical violence. Of couse,I enjoy and cheer when the bad guy who has plowed through society, murdering, tortuing and inflicting pain on the innocent, finally gets his. Although you're right...people laughing during a scene of domestic violence, may have little to do with domestic violence actually being hilarious....but it does display a certain disconnect from the human spirit.....IMO. And....ANYONE who laughs while watching Nazi soldiers shoot children in the head.....I'm sorry...there is something wrong there!!

Thanks for letting me vent.

"OOhhhooo....I'M GON' TELL MAMA!"

[–] CaptainTerrific 9 years ago

I watched it at home, it was just me, and yes, I must admit, I laughed at that scene.

It had nothing to do with drawing some kind of enjoyment from someone being hit, or finding that intrinsically funny, but more to do with a combination of the suddenness/unexpectedness of it, and in the way the scene was shot.

The way she's just talking and walking along, thinking everything is fine, they both leave the shot then...WHAM!!!, she flies back into the shot, off her feet; it's just an abrupt transition from everything being light and happy to one of real danger, it can provoke an inappropriate reaction in a viewer, in the same way that in any stressful situation, some people (either directly involved or just as a bystander) will laugh.

The way it looked, too: it almost had a superhero/villain fight aspect to it, like she was either attached to tethers or sprung off of a trampoline into the shot. Just the look of it was a little cartoonish and comical.

I thought, though, the scene was effective, because it did capture how it's like living with someone who has that kind of temper. You'll think everything's a-OK, only to discover in the blink of an eye that it isn't.