Beauty And The Been There Done That
February 7, 2011 No Comments
The message behind Beauty and the Beast is that inside every ugly person is a pretty one waiting to get out. Beastly is a modern, edgy remake about a pretty boy who becomes… well, not ugly so much as alternative.
He must learn that he can be loved despite his new look and in the process he grows as a person, etc. The trailer doesn’t tell us whether at the end he reverts to his attractive playboy visage, but that would be interesting to see.
This story has been remade many times, in a much less literal fashion. In Shallow Hal, he finds true love with a fat woman, who remains fat after he falls in love. Obesity is probably more horrifying to most audiences than facial tattoos and the premise that a person could actually love a larger woman quite subversive. This story was probably done best in Shrek where the audience learned that the true shape of love had nothing to do with looking like a fairy tale princess.
The message that looks don’t matter is a great one for teens to learn, although the jury is still out on whether this is the movie to teach it to them. I have a feeling the take home message will be that tattoos are sexy.
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