NewOldPlayer

Some 'real life' stories, although amazing and fantastic to read about, don't necessarily transfer over to the big screen very well.

I had high hopes for this Picture of the Year and was somewhat disappointed at how simply boring it was. Yes, boring.

I can image the book is fantastic with all the details of his 12 years, but the film butchered it.

The main character is very intelligent and resourceful, yet it took him 12 years to write a simple letter that frees him? What has been doing for those 12 years? He seemed to give up hope after 3 days. It took him 12 years to get a letter mailed? Yet, they would let him buy groceries alone in town?

But my main argument is this, the film has no passion and no emotion. Because you don't care about the lead, you don't care about everything he gets involved in. He had no struggle, no balls for freedom. I know he had to play it cool, and blend in, but what about his mind?? No plotting to be free? No desire to leave? Even Frank at Alcatraz, the minute he got there starting plotting, and let us in on it...that's called a plot. This lead in 12 years, had no plotting and no mental thoughts to share with the audience on how he was going to correct his situation. I kept waiting and waiting for some glimmer of passion for him to get his life back, and it never came. He finally after how many years...writes a letter and tries to get whitey to mail it? Then gives up again... then writes another letter? A simple letter delivered him to freedom? In real life, yes, that is amazing, but on the big screen, it falls short and turned the film into a boring slice of cinematic life.

The ending was horrible. There is no 'lump in our throat' and there was nothing to root for. When he finally got home because of one simple letter delivered by a producer of the film Brad Pitt, (who agreed to be in the film if he could play a good white guy because Angie would kick his ass if he beat anybody.) ...the lead simply leaves the plantation, with hardly a bad word screaming from his owner, opens his front door, and his family looks at him like he just stole the bottle of milk at the doorstep. Again, NO emotions at all. The daughter barely hugs her dad and all are afraid to even approach him. Why the absence of emotions? What is the director thinking at this point? Keep it cool.... be more like Spock. I thought this film would be an amazing look into this man's life and struggle. No struggle at all. He just put up with bullshit for 12 years until he could get his letter sent.

This film would've made a much better documentary than a movie. There simply wasn't enough plot or story to carry it for 2 hours. I'm very confused as to why it won Best Picture. Very confused.

Then before the credits, they type on the screen some juicy tid bits about his life, and how HE wrote the book, and then later he was missing, body never found. Now THAT is the movie's ending. Why was all that good stuff left out? All we got was the boring part of his lack of ambition to leave, then skip out with a letter?

The Color Purple had so much more emotion, love, anger, joy, triumph, and more powerful scenes, it was a much better film. 12 Years had horrible pacing... while watching it would run: super slow for 10 minutes, then mellow drama beating, super slow for 10 minutes, then more mellow drama beating, repeat, repeat... you could almost set your watch to it.

I felt robbed. Where is the drama?? Where are the emotions? Where is the powerful moments that make us all identify with the lead and his struggle? I wasn't rooting for the lead to escape because HE never wanted to escape. He never tried and never plotted to leave. Yes, I know if you escape they will kill you.... so write that letter within the next month, not after 12 years??? One scene showing him trying to write with wax, and it didn't work, so he gave up? Got mad and gave up?? I just didn't get it. I think the book has the real answers and the movie's writers fucked up the adaptation.

A good film that could've been GREAT.

It did make me feel terrible watching it, the guilt was overwhelming, so if that is what they were going for, mission accomplished. I can't believe it won for best screen play adaptation. The power of guilt in Hollywood is still alive and well.

I never felt entertained, I just felt guilty watching it, then I realized, I'm bored out of my skull.