Your quote “since movies are supposed to be an escape from hard realities of real life, not intense recreations of them.” is at every turn further from the truth.

True some movies are supposed to be light fun and escapist. But others are intended to convey a visceral, sometimes painful, emotion. Thats the beauty of movies. The director is conveying an emotion to you, that he hopes you feel. Movies that invoke suspense, anger, frustration, fear and sadness shouldn’t be discredited as a good movie because it made you feel uncomfortable. I would the Passion of the Christ is a good example of an intense recreation of life, but still a good movie.

Obviously nothing wrong with improving/leaning processes, but the politics associated with who is let go was in many cases absurd. In many situations those who should of been let go weren’t, and the better employee was released.

Incidentally these were non union shops.

The movie was more interesting than the book. The screenwriter essentially ignored the book.

To make that less possible is socialism.

Complaining about that seems to me a bit anti-market economy. Btw, I’m just complaining because you accused someone of lying, which he obviously didn’t, and which was not possible according to your own accusation.

After watching Reitman’s unfunny, poorly scripted and directed film, I saw the Chipmunks Squeakquel, and though it was broadly lowbrow and targeted to children of age eight (not their parents), at least it had no political subtext–so I left the theater in a good mood. Furthermore the music was far preferable because bouncy and not self-consciously “hip.”

You are right of course that most of the best movies aren’t about escapism. BUT, this movie isn’t being billed as a hard drama, rather a romantic comedy. If you have ever been through a layoff and seen coworkers crying putting their stuff in a box as a thug security guard leads them out, you won’t find this stuff funny.

Personally I wish they would make a real drama about our disposable society throwing loyal employees out the door like trash after they hit 50. Watching the C-level folks retire early and live like kings and the people who worked hard and played by the rules all of their lives forced to work at Walmart or Mcdonalds……hmmm….paging Michael Moore….

Debbie the purpose of movies is not solely escapism. Hardly. Movies are an art form (or that is one thing that they are supposed to be) so really they are about reflecting life and harsh realities, telling u something about ourselves. Saying the purpose of movies is about escapism from harsh reality is like saying that the function of art (I mean painting and sculpture) is escapism and the function of literature is escapism!! which would be garbage of course. Why should films be soleley about or even predominantly about escapism, but not art and literature? this is an absurd thing to claim. It’s simply nonsensical. The best movies have never been about escapism, in fact if movies are just about escapism then I have no interest in them. One of the problems with Hollywood is that it makes such crappy escapist fare. Was Casablanca escapism, Apocalypse Now, The Hurt Locker, Taxi Driver, the French Connection, Midnight Cowboy, The Pianist, One flew over the cuckoo’s nest etc etc? All the best films are anything but escapism. Sheesh.

Count me among the “Office Space” faithful. The Bobs crack me up.
A melodramatic movie about firing people? Goats who stare at pink slips? I pass for now-maybe when the DVD comes out and a friend lends.