Mar
30
Review of Greenberg, from Kim Zussman
March 30, 2010 |
The underwhelming "Greenberg", played by Ben Stiller, is Hollywood's latest glamorization of neurosis. Woody Allen, the pioneer in this genre, charmed up his leading men (himself) by laundering neurotic obsession through talent. "Shine" put light on a Jewish Australian music prodigy who is rescued from his illness by a high chinned maternalistic matron. Nerds who are crazy but smart, inexplicably winning the girl.Hollywood women veered from the winning Jewish neurotic toward the gentile variant. Jack Nickolson capitalized on his money as a talented writer with OCD in "As Good as it Gets". And the tolerant wife of the Beautiful Mind of John Nash (who in real life got busted for perversion in a Santa Monica beach public toilet).
Greenberg brings us to the untalented Jewish neurotic, who is pursued and conquered by a much younger, convincingly dumb and slightly bovine blonde, because she is lost, lonely, and in need of a pursuit. While driving in LA traffic, she mutters "Are you going to let me in?". Parallels between Israel and Hillary aside, perhaps we are witnessing the curtain on forgiveness of the American shtetl.
The viewing angles of Hollywood neurotics was done the same way Playboy analyzes things. A more honest treatment of women as objects is the new book, "T, T and A" by Tony Stamolis. One of the few tomes I could read in two hours (the only words were inked on the bare skin of gang bangees), Tony interposes nice images of California girls with those of "gut wrenching" Mexican fast food. I asked the author whether he sampled all the dishes, and for a family website the answer is omitted. (however one did suggest a new book for him).
Finally, a new genre is the Jewish* neurotic genius who lives with mom, refuses money all while solving the remaining math puzzles.
*To Russians he is Russian, though Jews in that country are not considered Russian
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