Filmmakers like Martin Scorsese and Spike Lee have spent their lives capturing the world in and around New York City. Last year, Michael Mann won acclaim for accurately depicting L.A. in his hitman drama Collateral. What about everywhere else?
There’s no one out there showing the real Dallas. The place I call home is represented by grinning cowboy industrialists with huge belt buckles or spitting rednecks who sacrifice their children’s education for games of high school football. New York gets The 25th Hour, Dallas gets Serving Sara. What do we know about Baltimore, or Indianapolis? Does anyone care? The closest anyone’s gotten to capturing my town is Mike Judge with Office Space. Great movie, but a sad commentary on Hollywood’s bi-coastal bias. That’s the real Dallas, and it isn’t run by Larry Hagman.
It’s time for filmmakers to broaden out. There’s nothing Hollywood loves more than making movies about itself, but give the rest of us a chance. Give folks a chance to see that Dallas is a shallow, rotting, festering boil of shallow consumerism and chronic eating out. While you’re at it, show the good things too… if you can find them. I’d start looking in the suburbs. Everything isn’t bigger and better in Texas and no Mr. Norris, our cowboys (what few there are) don’t know Karate.
About the Author
Joshua Tyler is the Owner and Creator of CinemaBlend.com, a movie news and review resource updated daily and available for paid syndication.