....... in search of a director. In "Smile" a "Valley Girl" becomes involved with a 'missionary' program designed to aid Chinese children disfigured by cleft lip/palete through a teacher. The teacher arranges for a trip to China for students bound by the eccentricities of American 'culture' to aid and observe the victims of disfigurement.Our ValGirl's family life reveals a disfigurement of her own----conflict, conflict, conflict. Outbreaks of emotional/psychological violence between her mother & father (in her presence) cause her to find refuge in the counsel of her teacher who endorses a program of short time missions to aid in the reconstruction of disfigurements in the world's less fortunate individuals.
I see her interest (in the program) as a form of escapism from a witchly mother (who espouses the use of 'the pill' to safe sex and first-and-foremost ------ abstinence.) She (witchly mother) and (removed from the program) husband are at each other's throats --- for no apparent reason --- while ValGirl takes it all in.
ValGirl discovers (through her teacher) that she and a poor girl, from a remote Chinese province outside Shanghai, share the same birthday. The only difference --- ValGirl is dressed in fashions from 'SlutTeen' and whines incessantly (during 2 of her outbursts, I hit the mute button. Would be nice in real life) - and the girl from China is disfigured and trying to live from day to day. Her father sacrifices his own family to give his daughter (whom he found abandoned) a decent quality of life. So, ValGirl sets out on the mission trip to meet the Chinese girl who shares her birthday. What follows is a story of deliverance & redemption - you just have to get through the crap of the first 80 or so minutes of this film (centering around her life in high school in Malibu with concurrent events in China involving her disfigured soul-teen) which could have been a lot more than what it ended up to be. Eventually, the girl in China (now 17) has corrective surgery and .... well, watch the last 30 minutes of the film and you'll have the whole story.
As the future parents of a child with a correctible impairment (such as portrayed in this film), we had our eyes opened to the possibilities which lie before us.
As far as a 'motion picture' goes, this one is best suited for HBO/Showtime or as a last resort - the "Lifetime" network. As I surfed movie sites on the internet, I found several plots for this film which lead me to the conclusion that it was edited to fit budget, writer & cast availability as well as the inclusion of enough sexual references to turn this piece into a 'work' worthy of a PG-13 rating. It could have been a lot more than what it became ---- and I imagine most movie watchers would have turned it off during the first 30 minutes. Really though, it's a wonderful story in search of the right production team.
If (your daughter's) premarital sex is just fine with you, then this is a family movie. If otherwise, watch and be ...... well, you decide.
3 comments:
I trust you, so when it comes out I will certainly watch it. We talk all the time to our 15 year old daughter, we are very frank with her, she is a christian girl with a great christian foundation, now that does not mean she will not make bad choices and decisions, but we feel really blessed that she has that foundation and two really best friends from childbirth and they are really accountable to each other and I think that is a head start, the girls and I talk about "tough" situations and different things all the time. I think open communication is the key, do you agree ??? I love reading your blog , it is always filled with spiritual wisdom and intelligence.
Love, Kristy
Hi Kristy,
Thanks for your comment. I'm with you on the communication item. So important for our kid's psychological & spiritual development ----- not to mention their physical health. What ticked me off in this movie was the fact that WM (Witchly Mother) was flip about the whole thing - it was quite trashy - and not one word about protection from the myriad of STDs out there on the dating scene. We can only guide our kids 'in the way he (she) should go' and hope and pray that they make the correct choices.
Joanna will experience open communication as we model it for her (not the type displayed in this film) as both of us do not let the sun go down on our problems. So glad that your 15 year old has a circle of support with yourself and your friends. What a gift! Although I will be the Stay at Home Dad, Be will be the one to develop such a vehicle for Joanna for obvious reasons.
I hope Chas is progressing in her healing.
Blessings,
Don
Footnote - I saw a very frank video by a gal named Pam Stenzel who speaks at high school assembly programs and youth meetings. She blats it out - all the details - with love for the kids she's addressing. I saw that one of her discs is available on Netflix - she adapts her talks to both public & Christian school audiences. Entertaining, informative and eye opening.
Great subject for a film. Too bad they didn't make it more interesting to watch. Thanks for the heads up.
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