Don’t get excited. I’m talking about a movie.

For the benefit of anyone wandering by who never heard of the nursery rhyme I’m referencing:

There was a little girl
And she had a little curl
Right in the middle of her forehead.
When she was good,
She was very, very good
But, when she was bad, she was horrid.

(Obligatory aside to quote Mae West, who changed it to, “When I’m good, I’m very, very good but when I’m bad, I’m better.” End of obligatory aside.)

ANYWAY, my mother and I are maybe halfway through a relatively recent remake of an iconic American movie, loaned to us by a friend. So far, the big-ticket items are mightily impressive.

Sets – check – I believe I am where the film says I am

Costumes – check – I believe people wear those clothes, although I do keep flashing on Bugsy Malone.

Characters – Yes, well, here’s where it begins to break down. Major characters, yes. Secondary characters, mixed bag. Minor characters, big red X.

The devil is in the details and, while the details of the big-ticket items are meticulously believable, the corroborative details broke the dream early and break the dream often. More about those on Writer Monday, when we will have finished.

I will say this: Halfway through the picture, we’ve barely glimpsed the biggest ticket item of all, the star of all stars, and he looks PERFECT. This is going to make or break the movie. I don’t enjoy picking on a show. I watch a show expecting to fall into it, suspend my disbelief and go along for a ride. So I’m pretty ticked over a major director abusing me in this way. I’ll never trust him so completely after this as I did before it, but I won’t spit in his eye if he does well by his Star.

Sorry for such a crabby post.

WRITING PROMPT: A detail out of place jars a character out of an illusion.

MA