Muir's Rushmore

Rating: Null/10 (12 April 2008)

During the first tedious outing, I was full of wonder about how the form of this developed. I am interested in the puzzle movie, something that nominally started with the mystery. Some intelligent movies devise ever more complex and subtle puzzles, the wonder of which engages the viewer.
Then there's the mainstream thread which asks ever less of the viewer, and merely panders to notions of how the mystery conspires to be so complex. Well that was what occupied be in the first embarrassment. Now we have this.
Second movies in a franchise fascinated me, especially when the producers are as ambitiously greedy as this one. That's because the first movie gives them an opportunity to test the thing to death and to refine the formula for the second. So if you see any change whatever, you can rest assured that it was because of very expensive testing, marketing considerations and an understanding of narrative tokens.
That's why I wonder what Helen Mirren is doing in this. She's 63. Now, recently she has given a serious study of Elizabeth, but this hiring decision was made well before that. Mirren's past is based on her overtly sexual being. She was essentially the first actress to make a living with her breasts and actually grow into a serious talent. But along the way, she has retained in many roles and most importantly in her public life, the sense of open sensuality. She's a sexual being first, and an intelligent observer of emotions behind that.
Its quite rare. So why is she in a kiddie movie? A PG-engineered dope-fest? Why is she more openly sexual than the ordinary love interest?
This is not accidental. Her wet top, her partially exposed breasts... these are engineered decisions. Why?
I think it is insurance. I think that when you build a franchise today, you have to do so thinking of the saleability in 30 years. DVD marketeers look at what older viewers like, and its no surprise that they like two things: the familiar and sex, or at least what implies sex. And they look at who will have all the money in 30 years. It won't be the youngsters because the old always steal from the young.
She's there so that when these 27 year old boys (the target) are grown into 63 year old men, they'll still rent this, or whatever amazing extras can be packaged. I'll bet nearly anything that there are salacious deleted scenes with this fearless woman. And probably naughty commentary as well.
Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.