Rewrite redux

Ever notice that some movies improve with re-viewing?  Well “The Rewrite” was one of those movies for me.  My expectations for the movie were high, especially because of Jonny’s musical contribution.  I looked forward to the pairing of Hugh Grant and Marisa Tomei, and I hoped that the film would be as good as Marc Lawrence’s “Music and Lyrics”.

After my re-viewing, “Music” is still my favorite Lawrence movie, but “Rewrite” holds its own in most categories.  There is a plot problem: at the beginning Grant’s character unwittingly sleeps with one of his students, which leads to him being threatened with expulsion from his teaching job.  As a result, he is unable to act on his mutual attraction with Tomei (another one of his students), and there is a somewhat unfulfilled feeling at the ending, where it is implied that a relationship will ultimately happen.

Interestingly, Grant’s character has a similar early encounter with Drew Barrymore in “Music”, but this event turns out to be almost irrelevant to the relationship that follows, which is much more textured and satisfying.  However, our expectations for happy endings causes us to feel a lack when the intimacy does not come at the end.

Anyway, I enjoyed “The Rewrite” much better when I stopped comparing it to “Music” and let the charms of the movie carry me along.  As I wrote in my first review, it is well-constructed and -directed, the writing is witty and hilarious at times, and the music is easy-going and fits the story well.  The acting is exemplary.

So, as I wrote before, see it! It’s fun.

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Linsanity redux

It is probably not fair to compare Jeremy Lin’s post-Linsanity performances to his groundbreaking month in 2012.  Linsanity was the result of several factors which may never come together again, namely a coach who believed in and cultivated point guards (Mike D’Antoni), a desperately failing team in a big market (well I guess this is still true), and the injury to the team’s start (Carmelo Anthony).  Add to this mix an unknown and talented player whose time had somehow come, and Linsanity was born.  The other NBA teams knew nothing about Jeremy, and it took several weeks to adjust to him.  Perhaps there was some element of racism: they may not have believed that an Asian player could do the things that Jeremy did.  In addition, despite becoming a star, Jeremy was and is the ultimate team player.  Teammates like Steve Novak became the leading three-point scorer in the league, largely due to timely assists from Jeremy.  The entire team was lifted by Jeremy’s success, and this success was amplified in East Asia one hundred-fold.

Jeremy has struggled to cement his standing with both the Houston Rockets, on which he played for two years, and the Los Angeles Lakers this year.  As staunch fans, Carol and I have been frustrated that his coaches, especially Kevin McHale, did not recognize his strengths and allow him to play to them.  For example, whenever he had a big scoring night, his playing time would be reduced in the following games!

The reason I review this is that Jeremy had a game the other night  (Feb. 22) against the Boston Celtics worthy of the name Linsanity (one announcer did say it): 25 points on 10-for-15 shooting, including one three, and six assists.  These figures include an overtime in which he made two assists to Boozer  and two baskets of his own, the second one giving his team a five-point lead with 34.1 seconds to play.  This was the last field of the game, and iced the win.

Jeremy is a modest person who does not pursue his own self-aggrandisement.  As a result, he has had problems competing with large-egoed teammates, such as James Harden and Kobe Bryant.  True to his Asian upbringing, he is apt to defer to these teammates, passing them the ball early and not taking shots himself.  One of his best games with the Rockets, in which he scored over 30 points with nine three-pointers, happened with Harden benched by an ankle injury.  It is no coincidence that this excellent game occurred in the absence of Bryant, who is out for the season with a shoulder injury.  With the Knicks, Anthony and Stoudemire were both injured.  There were no stars, and Jeremy stepped into the void.

I hope that Jeremy can continue to grow and excel.  He said in an interview that he is a better player now than he was during Linsanity.  I believe that this is true.  He has learned to deal with tougher defense (including bigs with elbows to his face), unappreciate coaches, and stiff competition, if not resentment of his international fame.

I certainly find parallels to my own life struggles, and find encouragement when he can perform up to his ability, and be appreciated for it.

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I find that when I combine two subjects into a post, there is usually some thread linking them, and them to my own experience.  This case is no different, and the thread is this: like the jail’s bars formed by the icicles outside my window (FB reference), persons can become prisoners of their own early success, like Marc Lawrence with “Miss Congeniality” and “Music and Lyrics”, Jeremy Lin with Linsanity, and I with my Hopkins and Presidential Scholar experiences.  I have noted that there are very few actors and celebrities who achieve fame without suffering from it in some way (Lindsay Lohan being an extreme example). And I find myself gratified that my own children have won respect and fulfillment without the need for fame.

In my own career I have achieved a good measure of respect and fulfillment, but still feel unappreciated at times in ways that I find hurtful.  As I write this, I realize that this statement is true for most people.  And so I need not feel alone.

Thanks for reading.