Reader Poll: What Kind of ‘Enlightenment’ Will HBO Deliver?
by Big HollywoodThe Hollywood Reporter doesn’t mention what kind of spiritual awakening will cause Laura Dern’s character to wreak havoc as she seeks to live an enlightened life. Obviously they want to keep us guessing, so take a look below and then use our poll to make an educated guess:
HBO is being “Enlightened” by Laura Dern and Mike White.
The pay cable network is developing a single-camera comedy to be written by the “School of Rock” scribe and star Dern as a formerly self-destructive woman who, after having a spiritual awakening, becomes determined to live an enlightened life, creating havoc at home and work.
“There are so many dysfunctional types of characters populating cable television, and she is equally as dysfunctional as any of them,” White said, “but her impulse is to get healthy, to make the world a better place even though it creates havoc.”
The project stems from Dern’s standout performance as Katherine Harris in the 2008 HBO film “Recount,” which earned her a Golden Globe Award and Emmy nomination.
Don’t forget to vote!
Email this to a friend | Print |
Share on Facebook
| Tweet this
| 
Follow Us on Twitter
Subscribe via RSS
Got a Tip?
21 Comments
I'm betting she'll be an insufferable environmentalist (which includes becoming a vegan, naturally). Of course, she won't be portrayed as insufferable. She'll be the enlightened, noble person, and everyone around her who resists her changes will be made to look like selfish, immoral troglodytes.
The description in the page said "Healthy" which to me means "crappy organic hippy crops that are free of 'toxins' and 'chemicals'"
She could be a combination of 1, 2, and 3 to make it truly vile.
Can we make it all of the above?
My speculation is that the show's point will boil down to relativism. Based on the description, the gist seems to be that "sure, most people are bad, but here is someone with values who is trying not to be bad. . . and she's bad anyway. [So don't bother trying to be good!]" The phrase from the description, "even though it creates havoc” makes the whole premise even more despicable, since it demonstrates not merely the sense that trying to be good is futile, but that people who have values and try to live according to them (or as modern liberals call them, "extremists") are the cause of the world's problems. If only these "self-righteous" folks, these "moralists," would be silent, we would be fine!
Such is the bottom line of relativism, that, ultimately, it is the people with values who are the bad guys; not the people with bad values (progressives, multiculturalists, and modern liberals won't choose sides), but people with any values.
Of course the show's character could be otherwise deficient or defective, but my money is on relativism as the show's theme. I'd be pleased to be wrong.
Dern is a darn good actor. I hope the role is up to her talent, but more likely we'll get the usual leftwing take on religion — shallow, clichéd and without any understanding of a true spiritual impulse.
I really don't think "intolerant, mean spirited Christian" fits the show's premise at all.
It'll be some kind of goofy Shirley McClaine crap. I'll bet anyone a whole dollar.
Enlightnment as dysfunction? I think HBO chose the wrong word or needs a dictionary.
I don't think that's what they were saying. The character is dysfunctional but is trying to attain enlightenment.
That having been said, I'm pretty sure the show will suck.
Thanks for ruining the plot, OT.
Sorry. I should have said there'd be a "spoiler"…
The Poll doesn't give an "All The Above" option
Sounds like type casting.
I can understand not going for the dysfunctional Christian option. After all, Christianity has been the default bad religion of choice for movies and TV shows for over a decade. So the first impression is that the utter lack of originality in such a plot would mitigate against it's use.
Unfortunately, I think a more realistic take is that the left media and HBO in particular is on a secularist jihad against anti-/gay marriage/abortion/birth control in schools/big government Christians. Trivialities like alienating a good sized chunk of the potential audience and predictable plotting are secondary considerations.
Besides, they'd have ZERO chance of an Emmy if they chose the vegan/environmentalist option.
May I add another entry?
* Who cares. My days of subscribing to HBO ended with The Sopranos.
I expect the worst from HBO.
You know, except for the Fred Phelps crowd there are a lot more intolerant, mean spirited Christians in the fevered imaginations of the left and Hollywood (but I repeat myself) than I have ever seen in real life.
Please pick me , pick me, pick me, ooh ooh oooh
Christians (Especially Mormons) are good stereotypes to use when you want to portray
something so out of the ordinary (also known as a HATER) its almost laughable…….
I have ONE wife, I obey the Law of the Land, I am a proud American Army Vet, I am a gun owner
and I treat my fellow man (regardless of his or her religion) with respect because I truly believe that we
are all "Children of God".
But can we wait for a normal representation of anything Christian from Hollywood…….
NO WAY, AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN
My speculation is that the show's point will boil down to relativism. Based on the description, the gist seems to be that "sure, most people are bad, but here is someone with values who is trying not to be bad. . . and she's bad anyway. [So don't bother trying to be good!]" The phrase from the description, "even though it creates havoc” makes the whole premise even more despicable, since it demonstrates not merely the sense that trying to be good is futile, but that people who have values and try to live according to them (or as modern liberals call them, "extremists") are the cause of the world's problems. If only these "self-righteous" folks, these "moralists," would be silent, everything would be fine!
Such is the bottom line of relativism, that, ultimately, it is the people with values who are the bad guys; not the people with bad values (progressives, multiculturalists, and modern liberals won't choose sides), but people with any values.
Of course the show's character could be otherwise deficient or defective, but my money is on relativism as the show's theme. I'd be pleased to be wrong.
Probably a Hollywierd stereotype of someone who believes in the Biblical Jesus Christ,I wont be spending my $$ to see this schlock.
Websites we think you should visit…
[...]although websites we backlink to below are considerably not related to ours, we feel they are actually worth a go through, so have a look[...]……
You must be logged in to post a comment.