Towelhead

- 1 1/2 Eberts


I used to hunt down the movies on Siskel and Ebert's Top 10 lists and try to see them all. Once in a while there was one that was not too good, but most of them were really good. That was a show I always looked forward to seeing.

I watched the new, At The Movies, show with Ben Lyons and Ben Mankiewicz . Ben had Towelhead in his Top 10, so I put it in my Netflix queue, and I saw it.

I was pretty disappointed. It was a creepy kind of movie. I completely agree with Roger on this one. Roger said :

"Towelhead" presents material that cries out to be handled with quiet
empathy and hammers us with it. I understand what the film is trying to do, but
not why it does it with such crude melodrama. The tone is all wrong for a story
of child sexuality and had me cringing in my seat. It either has to be a tragedy
or some kind of dark comedy like Kubrick's brilliant "Lolita," but here it is
simply awkward, embarrassing and painful.

I think he hits it right on the head. The movie is warning about inappropriate behavior but seems to be saying that 13 year olds having sex with each other is OK.

I don't think Ben and I saw the same movie. Roger gave it 2 stars but I don't even think it was that good.