Thursday, November 23, 2006

My Jet Blue Experience

As the week led up to my Thanksgiving trip to NYC, I was super excited for my first-ever experience on Jet Blue Airlines... admittedly, even more excited than my actual trip to NYC! I was looking forward to the leather seats, the extra leg room, and the individual tv on every seat!

The ride was definately a step up from the Southworst accomodations that I am accustomed to, but it really wasn't that much more spacious or comfortable. It's not like business class, though I'm not sure why I had expected it to be like business class. Also, I felt ambivalent about the TV, as it distracted me from my reading (Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer, a recommendation by both Josh and Jane).

Despite my ambivalence, I gladly watched Malibu's Most Wanted, starring Jaime Kennedy -- a movie which I would have NEVER EVER watched if not for the fact that I was stuck on a plane for five hours.

It's comedy about a rich white boy (Kennedy) who grew up in Malibu, but honestly thinks he's black inside. So the staff of his father's gubernatorial team considers Kennedy a threat to the campaign, and hires two "white" black actors to act "black", kidnap "black" Kennedy, and take him to "the ghetto" (South Central) to be scared "white". Of course, it doesn't quite work out that way because, as we know, racial politics just ain't that simple... so I'm sure you could imagine all the hijicks that followed.

Not only was it sooo stupid that it was funny, I was actually impressed with the movie's direction on issues of race, class and identity. I mean, the underlying message "to be yourself" is far from deep. In fact, I would testify that this movie does not add any value to the world whatsoever. But I do think the movie successfully tackled many sensitive and provocative racial topics and stereotypes with grace, humor and honesty. In other words, Kennedy and his crew pulled it off quite well. Believe me, I would have never expected it (especially with a movie poster like the one above). It was, indeed, a sweet surprise.

4 comments:

Tazzy Star said...

I just saw that movie this weekend again- it was playing on cable. I really think that Taye Diggs character pulls that movie through with hiliarious acting. I'm so used to seeing the Brown Sugar side to him - that seeing him with the "white" accent, acting "black" had me rolling on the floor.

And of course, any movie with my man, Kal Penn...

DYY said...

I love Kal Penn too. I wish I was his friend.

Can't wait to see him in Namesake.

liz said...

I want to see this movie now. Is this how Nikhil will be growing up in the barrios of AZ??

Kal Pen-I can't decide if I like him or not. He is usually so obnoxious that he is funny in a stupid kind of way. So to have him be the lead in Namesake, a book I hold very dear to HOT MAMMA's HEART, will be a 180. He better be an incredible nikhil.

DYY said...

I never knew the gated community of Paradise Valley was a barrio.

Cool.