And this year’s most overrated movie award goes to….Black Swan. Well, maybe not even just this year’s. I think I need to give up on Darren Aronofsky’s films because after The Fountain, Requiem for a Dream and Black Swan, I’m quitting on this guy. Requiem for a Dream was just as bleak and depressing it was supposed to be. It was a hard thing to watch but at least it was engaging. I don’t think Black Swan and The Fountain were meant to be boring. Oh well.
There are many things wrong with Black Swan but let’s go over the plot first:
**
Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman) is a talented and dedicated ballet dancer. She lives with her controlling mother Erica (Barbara Hershey) and lives to get the dual role of Black Swan/White Swan in Swan Lake during the new season. Her teacher Thomas (Vincent Cassel) thinks she is perfect as White Swan but isn’t sure she can pull the evil twin off. After all, she is timid, sexually repressed and pale. But somehow she gets the part and as the show gets closer, she starts getting more anxious. She is also seeing stuff. And what’s up with the new hot student Lily (Mila Kunis) who seems to want to be “close friends”. Will Nina be able to perform without losing it?
**
I’ll admit to seeing Black Swan purely because I gave in to the hype. Rated 8.6 on IMDB? Nominated for 5 Oscars? Golden Globe for Natalie Portman? I thought maybe it might be worth the time. Trust me, it isn’t.
Black Swan is one of the most annoying and boring films I have seen. People see movies for many different reasons. Sometimes you want to get blown away with imagination. Inception does that. Sometimes you just want an interesting true story told in a compelling way. The Social Network kicks butt at that. And sometimes, all you need is pure, pop-corn entertainment and The Tourist gives you all the fluff you need in a pretty package. Or you just want a decent epic movie with all the costumes and acting and budget. This year we don’t have epic but we do have a period piece – King’s Speech.
Now, these reasons above are also my reasons for seeing movies. I want to have fun or be in awe or be inspired or a combination of these, if I’m lucky. But I always want an enjoyable story. I want an enjoyable soundtrack. And I want interesting characters. Black Swan offers none. And don’t get me started on the dialogue.
The movie is all about Nina’s uninteresting life. She was raised by an obsessive mother, seduced by a pervert of a teacher and well, she is not so normal herself. Nina is boring, so is her story. The problem is, this drama/thriller is not dramatic or thrilling. I think it could make a lovely dance show if told in 30-45 minutes. But as a movie? Doesn’t work. And frankly, I wish Ricky Gervais had made some jokes about this one at the Golden Globes too.
Oh well. The only times I had fun watching this was when I saw Lost Girl’s Kenzi- Ksenia Solo, cast as a bitch. And it was nice taking a peek at Winona Ryder. Being a 90s kid, she has nostalgic value. But these two aren’t enough to make the experience bearable.
Fun notes:
– Barbara Hershey dated Lost’s Sayid Naveen Andrews for 10 years. They broke up in 2009. She is 21 years older than Naveen.
– French actor Vincent Cassel is married to Italian babe of an actress Monica Belluci and both Vincent and Monica co-starred with English actor Clive Owen in separate films. Vincent Cassel played the baddie in the thriller/drama Derailed, and Monica Belluci starred in the highly fast and entertaining action film Shoot ‘Em Up.
– Vincent and Monica also starred in the extra-controversial film Irreversible together.
– Maybe I shouldn’t swear off Darren’s films just yet as he is directing in Hugh Jackman in the second Wolverine movie. If he makes Wolverine boring… Fingers crossed, he won’t.
Other Natalie Portman Movies:
Love and Other Impossible Pursuits: The Natalie Portman Movie We Aren’t Excited About
Coming Soon:Thor starring Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Hopkins & Natalie Portman
Overrated: Closer starring Natalie Portman, Clive Owen, Julia Roberts & Jude Law
Preview: No Strings Attached starring Portman & Ashton Kutcher
Beautiful Girls starring Timothy Hutton, Matt Dillon, Natalie Portman, Uma Thurman
well i didnt hate this movie although i admit that i skipped some parts. this movie is more like from a film festival which they usually suck. I admired Natalie’s acting and some of the parts from the ballet and the soundtrack of course.
I agree that black swan is not good enough to get an oscar.
Well, fast forwarding usually means you didn’t have a blast watching it:) The thing is, Natalie Portman has been a great actress since she was 12. So I really didn’t need a movie whose only highlight was her acting. We all know she can act so a better story would really not hurt to support her acting skills:D
My heart is with The Social Network and The King’s Speech for the Oscars this year. Although I haven’t seen 127 Hours yet. I really want to see it.
They said “Natalie is here” and we did come
I take it you like Natalie Portman:)
I must disagree with you, Pinar…the movie was anything but boring…
It was a very interesting film, which has captured my complete attention from start to finish!
A good friend of mine, told me, that she thinks Black Swan should have won the Oscar for Best Picture. Well, I think she’s right.
The story was pretty original; although, also very tormented, like a bad dream… However, dealing with our true selves, realising who we are for real, acknowledging what is our true nature…oh boy, it sometimes can be a shocking experience.
Everyone has a dark side. And many has a dominating mother, who stops us to be what we want to be…those mothers won’t allow their children to reach their full potential… those mothers would wish their children to be forever children… never growing up.
Brilliant Natalie Portman, truly deserving her Oscar for Best Actress!
Thanks for the comment, Patricia. Though I have to say, I’d be truly disappointed if this won the Best Film.
I still think this would make better for a short movie, or a dance show. The main problem for me is that I just didn’t care about her exploration. If you have a dominating mother, you rebel. You fight. You don’t let her cut your nails at the age of 20-whatever! It is hard for me to watch a drama when I don’t give a damn about any of the characters. It is hard to be engaged in the psychological aspects when you are not intrigued.
I think with Black Swan, you either love it or hate it. I belong to the latter. I don’t know, I didn’t find the movie creative. Just depressing. I just don’t like the director’s style in general, although Requiem for a Dream was an engaging film.
Yes, of course psychological dramas can be complex movies… and, as you said, either you love it or hate it. I could identify myself with Natalie’s character…my mother was/is a very dominating mother, and I also have a dark side trying to take over every now and then…
Ha ha I have a dark side too, but I suspect it is the writer in me and not my mother:)
I disagree with you. I think that film is interesting. Its theme is different from most of the today’s films. I liked it. Normally, I don’t like psychological dramas, but this one is good.
The theme might be different, but to me, the movie was anything but interesting. It is not just me, though. Black Swan viewers are usually divided into two groups: those who find it fascinating, and those who find it unbearable. I belong to the latter. I didn’t see any character development, I didn’t care any about the cars. I just…didn’t care. And not making me care is a deal-breaker with me, when it comes to dramas. I still hold my position that this movie would have made for a better ballet show, rather than a full-length movie.