My brother and I used to wander around our local video store trying to discover secret, off-the-beaten-path treasures, and we'd call out our favorite titles to each other. One of the top five was a little indie film called Inside Monkey Zetterland, written by and starring Steve Antin. We eventually muscled up the courage to watch it, and it was memorable pretty much only for Ricki Lake's uncharacteristic supporting role as a crazed stalker. In another universe, she would have brought it up on her show as frequently and as self-depreciatingly as John Stewart used to reference The Faculty on The Daily Show.
So I am astonished — gobsmacked! — to only just learn that Steve Antin wrote and directed Burlesque. The fact that he and Sean Astin were both in The Goonies and have similar names used to be the second most interesting thing about him after the hilarious tidbit that he wrote a film called Inside Monkey Zetterland. But now to discover that the plastic-fantastic, instantly derided camp star vehicle was his auteur moment? Well, that might shoot to the top of the list. As much as everyone has always warned me away from Burlesque on principle, I'm afraid, as the internet's eighth greatest Steve Antin fan, that I am now duty bound to watch it. Curse you, Celia.
(Also, sorry for keeping this unread in my Inbox for so long.)
Wow this is truly D E E P into movies. I will have to look into Steve Antin as I was unfamiliar w this piece of knowledge, so thank you for this valuable contribution.
I have looked inward since writing about BURLESQUE, but am sticking to the popular opinion that it is very bad. The “underdog who will prove everyone wrong, just you wait” story is a hard one for me to stomach (and it’s also the plot of MANK, a movie I thought was detestable). But I encourage you to watch it, as long as you have already seen SHOWGIRLS.
My brother and I used to wander around our local video store trying to discover secret, off-the-beaten-path treasures, and we'd call out our favorite titles to each other. One of the top five was a little indie film called Inside Monkey Zetterland, written by and starring Steve Antin. We eventually muscled up the courage to watch it, and it was memorable pretty much only for Ricki Lake's uncharacteristic supporting role as a crazed stalker. In another universe, she would have brought it up on her show as frequently and as self-depreciatingly as John Stewart used to reference The Faculty on The Daily Show.
So I am astonished — gobsmacked! — to only just learn that Steve Antin wrote and directed Burlesque. The fact that he and Sean Astin were both in The Goonies and have similar names used to be the second most interesting thing about him after the hilarious tidbit that he wrote a film called Inside Monkey Zetterland. But now to discover that the plastic-fantastic, instantly derided camp star vehicle was his auteur moment? Well, that might shoot to the top of the list. As much as everyone has always warned me away from Burlesque on principle, I'm afraid, as the internet's eighth greatest Steve Antin fan, that I am now duty bound to watch it. Curse you, Celia.
(Also, sorry for keeping this unread in my Inbox for so long.)
Wow this is truly D E E P into movies. I will have to look into Steve Antin as I was unfamiliar w this piece of knowledge, so thank you for this valuable contribution.
I have looked inward since writing about BURLESQUE, but am sticking to the popular opinion that it is very bad. The “underdog who will prove everyone wrong, just you wait” story is a hard one for me to stomach (and it’s also the plot of MANK, a movie I thought was detestable). But I encourage you to watch it, as long as you have already seen SHOWGIRLS.
I genuinely and unironically enjoyed Burlesque because it’s so unintentionally hilarious.
speak your truth !!!! to me it is just too much of a drag.
You are definitely in the majority! I once forced friends to watch it for a birthday and they were less delighted than I was.