As a self-proclaimed entertainment industry brat, I get into the Oscars every year almost out of habit. With a father who knows so many people who are coming up and collecting awards, let alone running the whole telecast, I get a kick out of betting on the award show, following the politics of the little gold guy and seeing the outcomes.
Typically, I am not personally invested. I’m playing odds. But this year, I definitely am.
Aside from my hobbies as Queen of the Kitchen, I am a film connoisseur. I have been passionate about film since I was 16 years old and watched “Citizen Kane” for the first time. It was the subject of my very first term paper. I will watch “The Godfather” whenever I see it on television and I dissect movies with my father, and although he and I have different tastes (he’s a “Forest Gump” dad and I am a “Pulp Fiction” gal), he taught me to be a very astute observer of films.
I have seen many great films and many best picture winners. Then came “The Social Network.”
I never thought this film would be good. How could a Facebook movie be good? Although Aaron Sorkin was involved, I had my doubts. But then again, Aaron Sorkin has done the impossible, including make Annette Benning likable. As the reviews began pouring in, I knew I had to see this film.
I went with Ari and my friend Jeffrey to see it one Saturday night. I sat mesmerized for two hours. And then, when the credits began to run, my jaw was dropped and I said, “Holy s**t.” I had just watched something very special.
It was beautifully made, down to the details in the scenery and the acting. But it caught something in me. It was a film of our generation, the first to capture us. It captures all the things we are and all the things we aren’t. I knew from that moment, and at BJ’s afterwards with the three of us talking, that this film would be dissected for years to come.
“Social Network” had a lot to say about many things: About being young in this time, about friendship and how we socialize. It said things about how we have been women (and how we should know better). But I think it says a hell of a lot about being Jewish in modern times. Mark Zuckerberg is a Jewish young man, and part of being young and Jewish reflects in the film, right down to the “Asian-Jewish algorithm” and AEPi sequences, which is portrayed as being clearly uncool.
Then you have the WASPy Winklevi who are considered to be the cream of Harvard’s crop. The finals clubs, which seem to be impenetrable. The only way, in the film, to shake off the uncoolness of this faith is to become one of the herd and joining up with the Harvard elite. However, doing so clearly comes with a price. You forget who you are and where you came from. You try to get it back, but sometimes it just won’t come.
It’s just one of those questions that came up while I was watching an excellent film. Who are we? Where do we come from, and how do we represent ourselves to the world? Do we shy away from who we are in order to blend in with the herd or let ourselves stand out and shine for everything that we are, including our faith?
That is the wonderful thing about great movies – they give us insight into the human experience, into our own experience. If it’s good, it’s merely a way to pass time. If it’s great, it goes into the soul and becomes a part of everything that you are. It’s why my love story with them has lasted over all these years.
No matter what happens at tonight’s Oscars, I feel that “Social Network” will be with us for many years to come, dissected in film schools as why the story works, why the script is one of the best to come in a long time, and how every little detail of the film works to enhance what we are looking at, from the techno score to the art direction in the background. It will say a lot to us as we’re moving forward, particularly the young Jews who view the film afterwards.
In honor of my favorite film of the year, I am posting a recipe that Renee, my brother-in-law’s wife, gave to me this weekend. My nephews and niece supposedly love these Kale Chips, and I bet that you will too. Plus, they’re good for snacking on when you’re watching the Oscars tonight and placing your bets.
KALE CHIPS
1 bunch kale
1 tablespoon olive oil or Olive Oil mister
1 teaspoon garlic salt
Black pepper to taste
Preheat at 350. Tear kale leaves from stem. Place on a greased cookie sheet. Drizzle or mist with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper
Bake for 10 minutes or until they are browned on the edges. Serve immediately.
To be honest, I was very disappointed in the "Social Network". To me it seemed shallow and vapid. But I am not Jewish, and now I'm wondering if that caused me to miss some things? I was really hoping this movie would have more to say about social networking in our society, and how it affects people in daily life, instead of just showcasing Zuckerberg as an ass. But then again I am not a college graduate so it is possible this movie has a lot to say about the college experience as well as Judaism? Honestly I do not mean any offense, I am just really baffled as I thought the movie sucked so badly, and so many other folks are raving about it.
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