Saturday, May 26, 2012

Born Yesterday (1993)


Directed by Luis Mandoki (1)

Cast: Melanie Griffith (2), John Goodman (3), Don Johnson (4)

* Sorry that's the best trailer I could find at present. 

My Favourite Quote: "Being smart isn't just about books, it's about asking questions, it's about finding out why things are they way they are."


Did You Know? - This version of the film was a remake of a 1950 film of the same name (directed by George Cukor). And that version of Born Yesterday was based on a play of the same name written by  Garson Kanin.

"Without knowledge, you are less than everybody." - I think this quote mentioned in the film is a very sweeping statement. But I do believe that it holds some water. This is a film that makes me want to improve myself and to become a better person. It makes me want to pick up the many books I've started reading but never finished. 

I do think that if I am more aware of everything happening in the world around me and if I had an opinion and understanding of the world I would be a better person. Or at the very least, a person who looks past the end of his/her nose. It is a fact. There are many people in the world who don't care about anyone else but themselves. Money does seem to make the world go round and because of that, a lot of people have become so obsessed with making more money that they forget to slow down and appreciate what they do have instead of constantly chasing after something they want. 

In Born Yesterday, John Goodman's Harry Brock is so bent on making money that he bends others to his will and crashes through all the roadblocks without caring who he hurts. Melanie Griffith's Billie Dawn shows us how nothing is impossible and that if you are determined to change and improve yourself, you can. Nothing can stop you from being who you want to be except yourself. It won't always be easy, you might want to quit more than once or twice, but if you buckle down and keep pushing yourself to achieve what you set out to do, you will get it done. 

The 3 main actors in the film John Goodman, Melanie Griffith, and Don Johnson did a great job playing their characters. It is tiring to be an angry man and even more tiring to play an angry man. John Goodman took on the character of Harry Brock so well that I found myself empathising with the sad life he led and disliking him for the arrogant and self-absorbent man he was. He was the stand out actor of the three. Melanie Griffith played the ditsy Billie Dawn to a tee and made her transformation to a wiser and smarter woman quite believable. But I do admit that I found it a little strange that a woman as beautiful as Billie Dawn would stay with a man like John Goodman's Harry Brock. Don Johnson played an adorably bookish yet astonishingly charming Paul Verrall and he managed to strike a balance between those two opposing characteristics so well. 

This is not the first time I've watched the film Born Yesterday but each time I watch it, I love it all over again. Watch it and let me know if you like it too. But in the meantime, remember to find out why things are they way they are instead of just accepting it as the way it is. You can do better, you can be better, if you just put your mind and heart to it.

(1) Director Luis Mandoki has directed films like When A Man Loves A Woman (1994) and Message In A Bottle (1999)

(2)  Melanie Griffith  has acted in films like Working Girl (1988), Now And Then (1995), and Lolita (1997)

(3) John Goodman is best known for his role as Dan Conner on the television series Roseanne. He's also acted in films like Arachnophobia (1990), The Flintstones (1994), The Big Lebowski (1998), Coyote Ugly (2000), Evan Almighty (2007), Speed Racer (2008), Confessions Of A Shopaholic (2009), The Artist (2011), Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close (2011), as well as voiced characters in animation features like The Emperor's New Groove (2000), Monsters, Inc. (2001), Cars (2006), and The Princess And The Frog (2009)

(4) Don Johnson has acted in films like Tin Cup (1996) and Machete (2010)


The Eclectic Reviewer thinks… Born Yesterday teaches you a thing or two about how you should live your life and how important it is to be aware. To understand and not just know, to listen and not just hear. Is ignorance really bliss? This film doesn't think so. (3 of 5)

MoviePoster from Wikipedia


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