This film is a bitter satire of racial divisions, media, and culture in general. The main premise is that people are forced to make a living from humor that degrades their own self-respect. Along the way, various tough issues are raised. What is art? What is truth? Who decides what art and truth are? What is the mentality we call history? And as all of these questions are contemplated, we realize that we must "Feed the Idiot Box!" The idiot box is not only TV but also news, films, music, books, and all forms of exploitation masked as entertainment or information.
While Spike Lee acknowledges that he used A FACE IN THE CROWD and NETWORK as models, I was reminded of AMERICAN PSYCHO, especially with the use of voice-overs. The film wanders back and forth between satire and sermon. In this respect, the voice-overs were intrusive and came across more as lectures than as insights. I think the film would have worked better if the actions had been allowed to speak for themselves.
In any event, this film is an interesting look into the way culture distorts reality and then turns the distortion into reality. Life imitates art, and art imitates life. Can we tell the difference? Interesting and disturbing question.
While Spike Lee acknowledges that he used A FACE IN THE CROWD and NETWORK as models, I was reminded of AMERICAN PSYCHO, especially with the use of voice-overs. The film wanders back and forth between satire and sermon. In this respect, the voice-overs were intrusive and came across more as lectures than as insights. I think the film would have worked better if the actions had been allowed to speak for themselves.
In any event, this film is an interesting look into the way culture distorts reality and then turns the distortion into reality. Life imitates art, and art imitates life. Can we tell the difference? Interesting and disturbing question.