The Girl with the Goalden Boot

Friday, May 07, 2004

 

F*CK F*CKITY F*CK!

Haha...no, I'm not swearing cos I'm pissed off... I just think it's cute dialogue! (Thanks to Pat McBeth). Scotland, PA is one of the best films I've seen in recent times. It's a clever transformation of Shakespeare's Macbeth. I've never enjoyed English, let alone Shakespeare (those who knew me since my high school days have heard my complaints). We studied A Midsummer Night's Dream (I had to act as Puck...good grief...), Antony and Cleopatra, The Merchant of Venice, King Lear...and of course, Macbeth. I knew Macbeth the best because I had the best English teacher ever in year 10, and we watched on of those BBC re-makes of it... (I remember Jeanne and I couldn't stop laughing during the final scene when Macbeth's head was prodded up on a stick and the rest of the community was cheering...such sor pors...)

Instead of Scotland in Europe, Scotland, PA is based in a little town called Scotland in the US, in the 70s. Instead of King Duncan, it's Duncan who's the manager of a fast food restaurant called Duncan's. Then there's Joe 'Mac' McBeth and his scheming-evil-jealous wife Pat McBeth (played by my fav Maura Tierney!). Basically, the two McBeths work at Duncan's, but Pat can't bear simply being the "f*cking manager's assistant's wife", so she plots to kill Duncan, and talking Mac into it. They make the scenario look like a "robbery-gone-wrong", and ends up pushing Duncan into the frying well... *sizzle* (haha...the humour is really hard to describe in words). The oil accidentally splashes on Pat's hand, and later in the film she keeps rubbing ointment into her hand even when the burn is healed (the equivalent of Lady Macbeth washing the imaginary blood stain off her hand). Mac also hallucinates about 3 hippies who forsee the future, much like the 3 witches in the original Macbeth.

So, all goes according to plan, and the McBeth couple open their own fast food place, McBeth's (very much like our modern day McDonald's)...and supposedly operated the first ever drive-thru! (This is really funny too, cos they compared the drive-thru to a bank teller). McBeth's sell burgers and fries too, and calls their food Big McBeth's, Little Chicken McBeth's; and there's this big red M logo on the roof of the restaurant (LOL). All goes well until Detective McDuff comes along...etc etc... I'll skip to the end...

Eventually Mac gets caught by McDuff (and is presumably killed by him, after a confrontation), but what happens to Pat? This is kinda gruesome...but funny too... Pat cannot stand the imaginary burn on her hand anymore, puts on an oven mit in the kitchen, places her hand on the board, searches for this massive knife...you guess the rest! Then she faints slowly and melodramatically, and presumably dies too...

It's unfortunate this indie film (directed by Billy Morissette, Maura's husband) was never released anywhere outside the US, because it's great, and really clever. It was in the Sundance Film Festival several years ago, and received rather good reviews. I liked it not just because of Maura's superb performance (she's nothing like Abby you see every Thursday night!), but it's genuinely a very clever transformation of a Shakespearian play. Especially the use of the McDonald's and drive-thru ideas.

Mac and Pat at McBeth's restaurant

Pat when she was still working at Duncan's

The McBeth couple getting ready to kill Duncan (erm...knocking him unconscious with a saucepan!)

Bet you've never seen Maura like this before :P

Lola Nadal 4:57 PM