Saturday, June 21, 2008

"Bee-Bee's Funhouse"

Author(s): Brian
Location: Arizona

"Bee-Bee's Funhouse"

Directed by Jonathan Demme
Written by Aaron Sorkin
Produced by Jonathan Demme and James Keach
Music by Terence Blanchard

Main Cast

Jeff Bridges (Maurice Verdun)
Amy Adams (Sally Bridges)
Mandy Patinkin (Michael Ward)
Gerard Butler (Lester Hartford)
Shareeka Epps (Melinda Solomon)
Laurence Fishburne (Jeffrey Solomon)
Frances McDormand (Amy Ward)

Tagline: "Racism. Controversy. Children"

Synopsis: The year is 1963, and the name on everybody’s lips is Maurice Verdun. Maurice is the creator, head writer, director and executive producer of the extremely popular children’s show “Bee-Bee’s Funhouse.” The show airs live at 1:00 every week day, and consists of a man dressed in a bear suit, teaching kids age 3-7 things like counting, reading and other wholesome lessons. While on the surface it seems odd that the man behind a juvenile television show would be a celebrity among adults, one must understand how charming Maurice is. He is a true ladies’ man, and his attempts at more “adult” projects, most notably his film “Natural Talent”, have been nothing but successful. The press has dubbed him as the man who had his big break at age 50. However, there is one thing that makes Maurice appear less lovable to some: he is, put lightly, a hardcore racist. Maurice refuses even being in the same room as a black person. But that was a fact that most were able to tiptoe around. That is, until the next year, when the Civil Rights Act was signed. The thought of desegregation infuriates Maurice. However, he soon realizes that he has an audience that no one else has: children. He knows that propaganda works best on the young, and so, he incorporates slightly racist suggestions. And over the next two years, those suggestions would cause a national uproar, and force everyone involved to examine their thoughts on race.

Sally Bridges is a young, drop-dead gorgeous young civil rights activist. She leads protests and rallies, and is known to hate anyone who disagrees with her. Ms. Bridges leads the protests against the show. However, when she starts to fall for Maurice, she is unsure what to do. She doesn’t want to have to give up on her goal of eliminating discrimination, but she also does not want to lose Maurice’s love.

Michael Ward is the actor that portrays Bee-Bee. He and his wife, Amy, are activists in the civil rights movement. In any other circumstance, he would not stand for Maurice’s brainwashing techniques. However, this is his first acting job in years, which he only got because he is friends with Maurice. Michael must choose between his beliefs and his paycheck.

Lester Hartford is the head of NBC, the network that airs “Bee-Bee’s Funhouse.” He is young and optimistic, but has no idea how to run a TV station. He gets hate mail, and praise, for letting the show remain on the air. He is unsure of what he should do about it, as his stance on black rights is undecided.

Melinda Solomon is a just-out-of-high school African-American girl who has been raised by Sally for the past few years, since her mother’s death. Melinda has grown up with the protestors, and she has never had any other friends. Thus, she is extremely shy. When her father, Jeffrey, is released from prison, he wants his daughter back. However, she wants to stay with Sally, and makes the excuse that she needs to protest the show. Because of this, Melinda secretly does not want the show to go off the air, as it would mean living with her father.

All of these characters get caught up in a web, based on a children’s television show. Sally discovers that Maurice has been lying about his feelings towards her; Melinda frames Jeffrey so that he will go back to prison; Lester is murdered; Amy leaves Michael and stirs him into depression; Maurice loses his reputation as a good guy and countless other things. And, after every few scenes, we see a clip of the show, which seems to mimic what his happening in reality. All of these things lead up to a shocking conclusion, in which the show is taken off the air, and it is the last episode. It seems normal, and incorporates no racial slurs, until the very end, where Maurice, dressed in black face, kills Bee-Bee. Audiences across America are stunned. “Bee-Bee’s Funhouse” becomes a pivotal movement in the civil rights movement, and in the future’s mindset.

What the Press would say:

Wow. Just…wow. I have just seen the most beautifully crafted, original, relevant films of the 21st century. Directed impeccably by Oscar winner Jonathan Demme and starring some of the finest talent of our time, “Bee-Bee’s Funhouse” is more than just the best movie of the year. In fact, it’s more than just a movie. The film elevates above the title of “movie”, and instead becomes a work of art that speaks an under-examined message about modern times, but never fails to be entertaining. While it would seem obvious to call a script penned by “West Wing” creator and head scribe Aaron Sorkin compelling, there is simply no better word to describe the film. There is not a second where the film does not entertain the viewer, but there is also not a second where the film does not make the viewer think. “Bee-Bee’s Funhouse” truly is a modern masterpiece.

One of the key things in making this film a masterpiece is the brilliant acting. Jeff Bridges plays Maurice Verdun, the protagonist, who runs the preschool-aimed show “Bee-Bee’s Funhouse” (hence the title). Bridges goes from ruthless to heroic, and everywhere in between, in one of the most challenging and fascinating roles this year. Bridges manages to win over our sympathy and hatred, and should also manage to win Best Actor at this year’s Oscars. The Oscar winning co-star of “Wackos” and “Junebug”, Amy Adams, also turns in fantastic work as Sally Bridges, the lead protester against the show. Like her co-star, she portrays a wide range of emotions; however Adams takes a different, but equally successful approach from that of her co-star, in that she never shows anger, just disappointment. Hopefully this exceptional and refreshingly different approach to a great character will be enough to carve Ms. Adams’ name on an Oscar. But, the real show-stealer here is Mandy Patinkin. Patinkin’s role is the most vital of the supporting cast. He plays Michael Ward, the lead actor on the show. However, he really plays two characters. The first is, as previously mentioned, Michael Ward. Michael is a struggling actor who is fiercely against discrimination. But, he has to continue starring in a blatantly racist show because he cannot find work elsewhere. The second is Bee-Bee, the “lovable” bear on the fictional children’s show. We see a clip of the increasingly appalling show every once in a while, and we entirely forget that it is Patinkin underneath the costume. The characters he plays are total opposites, and he plays each one as convincingly as possible. Giving the Best Supporting Actor statuette to anyone else would be a joke.

“Bee-Bee’s Funhosue” is, without question, the best film of the year. It is a life-changing, thoroughly engrossing experience that is bound to pick up lots of attention at this year’s Oscars, with a strong campaign in the following categories…

Best Picture
Best Director (Jonathan Demme)
Best Actor (Jeff Bridges)
Best Actress (Amy Adams)
Best Supporting Actor (Mandy Patinkin)
Best Original Screenplay (Aaron Sorkin)
Best Film Editing
Best Cinematography
Best Original Score (Terence Blanchard)

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