VERY BAD THINGS
US, 1998, 100 minutes, Colour.
Christian Slater, Cameron Diaz, Jon Favreau, Leland Orser, Daniel Stern, Jeremy Piven, Jeanne Triplehorn.
Directed by Peter Berg.
The title is an understatement. The misdeeds portrayed are very ugly things as well. Yet, as with many American films and, especially, telemovies, the first part is the invitation to identify with (even wallow in) bad things while the second part is the attempt at moralising.
One of the difficulties with this kind of treatment is that those who identify with the bad things are impervious to the moralising or that those who are disgusted by the bad things will not stay watching for the moralising and so both groups misjudge the film.
This is certainly the case with actor Peter Berg's first screenplay and direction job. He is reflecting the world of the middle class American suburbs, surface respectability and achievement, but underneath...? He is also commenting on American men (with reference to the men's movements and the attempts for men to get in touch with their inner selves). But, what he finds beneath the surface is a great deal of rage, resentment at the achievement ethos and its expectations of success. And, given the opportunity, at one of those male American rituals, the bachelor party, uncontrolled emotions break out, animal behaviour. And, as here, when it is violent and destructive, self-interest and survival and rationalisation of what has happened are what is relied on.
But this is black comedy, sometimes satiric farce (and often on the high decibel tone of extraverted Americans in panic). The behaviour of a group of men after such a party in Las Vegas (which includes a sequence very hard to take, the murder of a security guard, a prolonged sequence which is heard rather than seen) is reprehensible. But, especially with the demonic character played by Christian Slater, the screenplay is full of Post-modern rationalisation, the rejection of absolutes and the confusion of values ('it was a bad thing but the smart play').
The theme is complicated by having Cameron Diaz's character as controlling on the domestic front as the men are on the business front. And the ending is one of disillusionment rather than retribution.
1. The impact of this film? Drama, melodrama? The audience intended? The dramatisation of values and lack of values? An ultimate moralising story?
2. Direction by Peter Berg? His skill in writing, skill in directing, acting background? His point of view on the morality and behaviour of the characters?
3. The title, the references by the various characters to the very bad things they have done? The irony of this description?
4. Suburban California, the preparations for the wedding, the offices, the suburbs and the houses and the streets? The contrast with Las Vegas? The gambling, the room? The contrast again with the desert?
5. The musical score, the range of songs, the religious implications of some of the songs - especially in the final credits?
6. The amoral world in which the protagonists lived? The post-modern decline in values, the nature of absolutes? Everything relative? The focus on the individual and individualism, American success? The values of American achievement? Self-centredness? Masculine repression and rage and it bursting out? The expectations on these men for their lives and behaviour and achievement? The eruption of animal behaviour?
7. The contrast between surface respectability and inner depths? Of each individual, of the group, their combining to form one aggressive character? Control and lack of control?
8. The structure of the film: the wedding, the nervousness, going back three days? First impressions - and the ironies of the actual wedding and the aftermath?
9. Cameron Diaz as Laura: at the bank, her tone, the sending of the cheques, the cheque for the tent, her condemnation of Kyle and his friends, her dismissing of them? The glimpses when she described them? The issue of the padded chairs? Her panic and her wanting affirmation that Kyle loved her? The phone calls, the decision to see him off? Her continued phone calls - and her preoccupation about the chairs? His finally ringing her and her anxiety that he was one hour late, looking at her watch? The comparison with Lois? Lois and the video seeing the men off? The kids? The place of women in this film and their relationships with the central men?
10. Laura, her decisiveness, yet her insecurity about Kyle loving her? Her treatment of the groomsmen, their collars and suits? The chairs? The engagement party and her father-in-law's speech, her keeping an eye on everyone else? Her anger at the men and Kyle leaving the party? Her reactions to them, a contrast of surface sweetness and repressed anger? Her hearing the truth, her reaction, again self-centred? Not wanting to postpone the wedding? The 27 years of waiting, no derailment? Her anger at the wedding, her bashing Boyd? Going through the ceremony? The irony of Adam's will and Kyle and herself having to look after the kids - and the disappearance of the money? Her sending Kyle back, wanting him to kill Moore and the dog? The final sequence? Her hard work, obsessiveness, compulsion? Her going out into the street and her frustration? The final frame and the high crane shot?
11. American men, the tradition of the bachelor party and its expectations? Kyle and his relationship to his friends, the discussions with Michael at the office, the farewell, Las Vegas, the gambling collage, the drinking, the drugs? The lap dancer and his resistance? His love for Laura? Boyd and the arrangement of the dancer? The party getting wilder, the breaking of the table? Boyd and his discussions, especially with Adam about the Jews, racist attitudes? Allegedly being fair-minded? (And Adam's reaction as regards Kyle ringing Laura about the chairs in the car and Boyd's criticism of him?) The girl, the strip, Michael and his reaction, going into the bathroom, his wanting affirmation about his sexuality, her death?
12. The reactions of each of the group? Adam and his religious and conscience reaction? Kyle and his wanting to call the police? Moore and the taking of the drugs? Michael and his panic? Boyd and his taking over? His control, offering the options, the police or the desert? His manipulating the vote? His rationalising the situation? His personal callousness? His long speeches and the rhetoric about lack of morality, self-preservation? How could audiences identify with this point of view - emotionally, rationally?
13. The security guard, his arrival, friendliness, accepting the bribe? Seeing the girl on the floor, his reaction, the brutality of Boyd's killing him, the protracted death, the men leaning against the door and the audience hearing his dying?
14. The decision about what to do, going to the supermarket and buying the cleaning equipment? The bizarre cutting up of the bodies and putting them in cases - the cleaning of the bathroom, the collage of the cleaning, their going through the foyer of the hotel with the cases? The reaction in the desert, the burying of the bodies, Adam and the Jewish tradition and wanting the pieces to be together, Boyd agreeing to this? As they buried the bodies, the arguments about who had friends and who were losers? The importance of Kyle's prayer - how genuine, the contrast with Boyd's rhetoric? The possibility of something good coming from such evil? The tensions of the drive back - the hysteria and the panic? The reference to panic junkies?
15. Boyd and his aggressiveness, arranging for the girl to come, his friendship, his control, his bigotry? His reaction to his customers at the estate agent meeting? Being cool, decisive, controlling? The reaction to the angers of each of the men? His psychological treatment of each of them? The clean-up, the burial, the return? His finally breaking out and his anger? Getting ready for the wedding, Laura and his suit? The phone calls, the party and Adam's tension, the fight? Michael and his driving into Adam? Boyd seeing Adam talk to Lois, his fear about the revelation of the truth? His going to Lois, the brutality of his fighting with her, his lying about Adam and the prostitutes? Lois's death, setting up Michael and persuading him to go in, killing him? The build-up to the wedding, his collapse, wanting the insurance money, going berserk, smashing things? Laura and her reaction, her brutality mirroring his? The wedding and the rings - Moore going to get the rings from him, his death? His being diabolical? An image of the Devil, temptation and control, evil?
16. Moore, his work, isolation, eccentricities? Laura's disliking him? Going to the party, his wildness, especially with the cocaine? Going quieter after the deaths, sometimes voicing conscience? The discussions with Kyle? At the wedding and his participating? Wanting good to come out of such evil?
17. Michael, his work at the office, his despising of Adam? His discussions about sex, self-image? The party, his taking the drugs, sexual aggressiveness yet insecurity, the death of the girl? His reaction, a mixture of fear and remorse? His cowardliness? His reaction to the cutting of the bodies, the cleaning, the burial? His attacking Adam and the brothers' rivalry? His continued panic and outbursts? The wedding, preparation, his confessing? Lois and her interrogation of him? His going berserk, the fight with Adam, the discussions about the van, driving into Adam and killing him, his emotional reaction? Boyd setting him up as if he had killed Lois?
18. Adam, the family man, going to the party, more conscientious, his being forced to agree with Boyd? His fear of being caught, the reaction at the grave, wanting the bodies put together, his Jewish theological reasons? His becoming more and more frantic? The migraines, the return, his taking the family out and his paranoia at the service station, suspecting customers and the police of suspecting him? The accidents and knocking things over, his being asked to leave? His anger at the children and at Lois? Gradually getting more desperate, at the party, going out, the fight, his being killed? His dying and telling Lois the truth? Leaving the letter? The ugliness of his being besmirched by his friends after his death?
19. Kyle as the central character, meant to be decent, his reactions, his going along with the cover-up, the prayer? His generally being calm, reacting with the others? With Laura, his initiating the lie to Lois - and dismayed when he went so far? The insurance issues and his having to take care of Adam's children? The wedding, being asked by Laura to kill Moore and the dog? Going into the desert, swinging the shovel - and the irony of his not killing them?
20. The credibility of the accident? The injuries? The aftermath - Kyle without legs, Moore wheelchair-bound? The kids?
21. The portrait of Adam's kids, their reactions, dislike of Laura, at home with her - their future?
22. The wedding sequence, the seriousness, the farcical aspects, Boyd downstairs? The aftermath and Laura's outbursts and wanting privacy from the bridesmaids?
23. The ending - consequences of irresponsibility? Guilt? The amoral world and yet this kind of retribution? The contrast between the statements of post-modern criticism of absolutes and yet inner conscience and human nature reacting? A critique of the American ethos?
