Age Defying Acts

The recent debate on Rebel Wilson’s age triggered another debate on whether people should be lying about their age or should even hide their age. Mia Freedman of Mamamia Women’s Network defended her stance saying it is not right for Rebel Wilson to lie about her age and attack other celebrities because of their age. She also claimed that the murmurs about Rebel Wilson’s age and real name have been around for a very long time. She resisted to publish it previously but now decided to run the story because of Rebel’s stance against other women of her age in the industry.

I personally don’t know what kind of grudge Mamamia has with Rebel Wilson but the fact is that why is it anyone’s concern? If Rebel Wilson did lie to get her jobs then it is her issue. Not that I approve lying but then if producers and directors are ok with that what is it to do with Mamamia to be the White Valkyrie to tear her down? Rebel after all is just an actor she is not an ancient dragon tormenting villagers in a remote town. If Rebel Wilson did lie about her age she is only responsible to people who hired her because of that. Is Mamamia going to offer her a job and found out she faked her CV? I really don’t understand why it is Mamamia’s business to deal with that. If Rose Byrne or Kristen Wig were unhappy about Rebel Wilson’s comment on the Ghostbusters casting, I think they are more than capable to hit back. If they don’t, unless they enlisted Mamamia’s service to knock Rebel Wilson down, then I don’t see a point for Mamamia to run a story as if they are standing up for them.

Age is a sensitive thing for some people and if some people do not want to talk about their age why is it anybody’s business to probe? Cate Blanchett doesn’t mind her age to be published because she believes in aging gracefully and bringing her life experience to all the marvellous characters she created (can’t wait to see Carol) but if Rebel Wilson does not want to talk about her age, unless the employers want to know, why did it become part of public interest anyway? As a fellow actor, I don’t like to talk about my age because I know very well that this will automatically put me into certain boxes and restrict what I can do. This is an industry that is not always about your talents and abilities but about impressions and preconceptions. I don’t lie about it when my agent submits me for casting or I pick up a job because it is who I am. I am just not interested in talking about it with anyone else who has no bearings in my life whatsoever. All my close friends and all the people who grew up with me know my age but it is not their business to go around and pretend to be “insiders” or “close friends” telling irrelevant publications about my age. Seriously if they are really “close friends” they would not be doing that, so there goes the credibility.

As for Rebel Wilson it is up to her how she wants to project her age. Unless her employers have issues about her lying about her age it is seriously nobody else business. If she made comments attacking other people’s age it is up to those people to hit back if they feel they need to. If they don’t feel there is a need to continue the conversation, then it is nobody else’s business to wage war on her for them. Sometimes I found it extremely ironic when publications defend themselves as being responsible journalism or acting as social conscience when they are actually running cheap stories without strong references to sell a few copies. But then if running cheap stories is their only way to survival then so be it. There will always be people who feed on those cheap stories to make themselves feel good. Just don’t say it is for social responsibility or justice. Otherwise Ultron will come to them and say “If I have a mouth I will throw up”.

Actors should be judged on their work not on their age. Their personal conducts will become part of their CV in the industry so it is nobody else’s business unless they are endangering the society. I personally do not see how not telling your age to the irrelevant public is an endangering act. Maybe these magazines can claim they want women to be proud of themselves and not being afraid of being who they are. But then these are the same publications week on week publishing those “OMG look at how she aged” or “OMG look at that overweight or anorexic body!” pictures and stories. So don’t pretend you are the Valkyrie when you are something else. That is worse than lying about your age.

And one last point in her defence I did not see Mia Freedman saying anything like “I am years old and I am not lying about it so Rebel Wilson should not be either.” So there you go set an example before you go running around with your wooden sword bashing bystanders pretending you representing justice.

Pitch Perfect 2

Pitch Perfect was a silent hit for me. When the first movie came out, when I first saw the trailer I was thinking “why would I want to watch a movie about pitch perfect while in essence it was just about bitch perfect?” The movie went on to sell millions of tickets around the world. I was still unmoved as I thought it was just a chick flick comedy that’s why half of the world’s population went for it because they could relate. This was until I went on a long haul flight and ran out of things I could do in the cattle class seat. Pitch Perfect was on the movie list so I pressed Select. That viewing changed my opinion of the movie. Not only that it was funny it had a superb cast with quirky characters that just grabs you. Some of the jokes are quite politically incorrect but then it did not overplay it so it was not repulsive as some of other Hollywood offerings were.

Fast forward a few years Pitch Perfect 2 rolled into the cinemas. This time round I decided to see it while it is still on. The end result? It was another nearly laughing non-stop 1.5 hour in my seat. The story continues from the end of the last one but instead of fighting for success the Bella is on the road for redemption. I liked the fact that Pitch Perfect 2 put the drama and motivation right there within the first 10 minutes of the film so the audience is not left dragging on to wait for something to happen. Pitch Perfect 2 is also about growing up and facing the real world as the girls are graduating and need to think about their future. Although Anna Kendrick is still the centre of the story this time round Rebel Wilson had become an equivalent. Anna as Becca has always been the rational one and thus most of the funny stuff rested on other people’s shoulders. Also I do like the fact that in this sequel there was no stupid relationship dramas that do not make sense but put in for the sake of drama. Kudos to the writer and the director. Rebel Wilson proved to be one of the funniest girls in Hollywood. A proud export from Australia Rebel did not shy away from jokes about the down under, which carries a significant meaning in the film. However, I personally do think the fat joke is starting to wear thin. Luckily there is some time gap between the two installments otherwise the fat jokes will not be able to achieved too much the second time round. Still I think Rebel Wilson needs to start thinking of other things to top up her acts or Hollywood will just chew her up and spit her out quickly.

Fat jokes about Rebel Wilson’s Fat Amy are not the only politically incorrect jokes in the movie. Frankly if you are looking for political correctness, don’t go and see it because there would be a high chance that you could get infuriated.  During my screening session, lines about minority and stereotypes triggered gasp and laugh among the audience at the same time. The Bella is made up of a diverse background of girls from Australian (Fat Amy) to Japanese, Mexican and African American. The thing is these lines were actually delivered by the characters laughing at themselves not at others, which made them a lot less offensive to the audience. Yes I know they were written by others but then the smart thing of having those lines delivered by the characters the lines were talking about immediately provided a buffer of tolerance for them. And the matter of fact way these lines were delivered made them a lot less offensive but a lot funnier. That said, I am not saying they are not going to offend because I am sure people will be offended but from my personal point of view it was quite smartly done. Also in my opinion, a number of lines were actually written to challenge and reflect on the current widely discussed sexism in Hollywood and across the creative industry, which I quite appreciate.

It is Pitch Perfect so music of course took the centre stage. The music in this second installment has some really catchy renditions that could make you tap along quietly in your seat. Also the sets are a lot bigger with more spectacular fanfare and effects. The flavors of music incorporated into the a capella performances breathed new lives into some of those really well known tunes. The choreography for each performance were meticulously done and performed to sharp precision, turning a capella singing into a truly performance powerhouse itself. Because the music is so good that sometimes I wished they could give the performance groups a bit more time to showcase themselves as they truly reflect how different genre and style of music could be converged into one performance medium.

The movie itself is a bit short for me because it was over while I was still enjoying it. But then I think this is a good thing as it leaves me wanting more, though I doubt whether they could still make this magic work third time round without eventually destroying something really good and leaving a bad taste in the audience mouth. No matter what I would recommend enjoy the pitch perfect performances of these girls while it lasts for you don’t get something hitting the right notes all the time every time you go into the cinema.