The other day I was reading my friend Jeffrey Overstreet’s blog, Looking Closer, when I decided to sound off about a movie reviewer’s comments concerning New Moon and how Moms are reacting to the movie. I felt some of Steven D. Greydanus’ comments were off the mark in his review. Keep in mind that Jeffrey Overstreet and Steven Greydanus are both well-respected movie reviewers for Christianity Today. I know Jeffrey and besides being able to call him a friend, I am a big fan of his fantasy novels. I don’t know Mr. Greydanus, but I actually liked his review even though I didn’t agree with parts of it. I largely disagreed with him as a Mom, and you know what can happen when you upset Mom.
I don’t know what I was thinking when I dared speak out against comments from either of these guys since jumping into the water with a couple of super intellectual guys can be sort of like jumping into a tank of sharks, but I will tell you now, they aren’t sharks. My impression is that reviewers and critics want to create a conversation, but too often it’s about people stopping by to say things like, “Yes! I agree!” and intellectuals debating with other intellectuals.
Why aren’t the rest of us participating in this side of the conversation? They are talking about Us in their commentaries!
Here are some of the comments I left at Looking Closer. Reading Jeffrey’s post will make the reason for my comments more clear. Also note that the “LOL” comments at the end are just me teasing a fellow commenter who doesn’t like when people use LOL. Well, I use it and I guess it makes me sound unintelligent. LOL! :
“I’ve already sounded off on Jeffrey’s FB page, but I guess I have some more thoughts. Of course it “matters what we call beautiful,” but it is sort of funny that people are so upset about a couple of movies (and books) aimed at Teen girls. Where are the intellectual reviews and discussions about Gossip Girls? I dare say everyone, including the intellectual crowd, is doing exactly what the publicity people for Twilight want us to do.
I honestly liked the CT review, but as a Mom I must take a different approach. As for the Greydanus’ comment about moms: “That the Edward Effect is no less potent for many of their mothers seems troublesome.” That is a load of, well, I’m a mom so let me just say poop…and LOL.
Come on! He seems to be making the assumption that moms are running wildly to movie theaters to get some kind of hormonal kick out of watching Edward and Bella grope each other. Many mothers are going to see New Moon and reading the Meyer books so they can have some kind of discussion with their daughters. We all know our kids will see the movie at some point, possibly with or without our permission. And they will read the books. They’re kids. We want to be part of the conversation with them.
Just keep in mind that those moms flocking to see New Moon might have a bigger plan; a plan to make their daughters think. Telling little girls the movie is dumb and not enlightening is not a good way for moms to open the conversation. We aren’t trying to raise robots, but many of us are trying to meet our girls in the crazy social atmosphere they are forced to live in simply because they are teens. How else should we do it?
The movie isn’t for you. Maybe you all should let us moms deal with this whole teen Vampire thing while you focus on Invictus and 2012. We might not look very intellectual standing in line at the theater, but we might just have our own motives. LOL. LOL. LOL.“
Since I posted those comments, Mr. Greydanus himself stopped by Jeffrey’s blog to reply to me. It turns out that he doesn’t mean all moms and he directed me to a really wonderful article he wrote about the whole New Moon phenomenon. It’s worth reading.
I still think the idea that most Moms are swooning over Edward is preposterous, but I must admit that a segment of the so-called mom fans do come across as a little over zealous. Of course, a few moms in this case translates to a really large number since Meyer’s fan base is so big. The gigantic few make all moms who participate in the Twilight craze look bad.
Interestingly enough, it has seemed like most of the disapproval of how moms are acting about Twilight has come from men, but Greydanus pointed me to this article at Salon by Laura Miller. I’m glad to hear women are also weighing in on the topic. She pointed readers to a site I didn’t know existed called Twilight Moms. I know some of you are rushing over to visit it and it’s okay. I won’t judge. I still don’t believe that the majority of Moms are lusting after Edward with no regard to the example they are setting for their daughters. Note, I said not all, because I know that some are.
Personally, I have seen Twilight and I’ll see New Moon. I don’t know if my daughter will be interested in them by the time she is old enough, but my niece and young friends already are. I promise I am not going to become some kind of hormone-crazed mom about it. Edward is just a baby!
And you know that since I’m an author, I have to comment on what I think the over all outcry from critics might really stem from and that is the author’s success, and maybe a drop – or bucket - of jealousy about it. It IS hard for authors and artist types to see that what is popular isn’t always in line with what critics see as true art.
As an author and as a mom, I have to say I’m happy for Stephenie Meyer and the success she has found. I am aware that it doesn’t make me sound very enlightened or intellectual to say so, any more than admitting that I enjoyed seeing Twilight. And I am also aware that Meyer is a Mormon and I am a Christian and that is supposed to present conflict for me, but it really doesn’t. As a fellow author, I’m not going to attack her writing or begrudge her success.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, I think it is silly for other writers and critics to attack Meyer in their mean-spirited blog entries and social network status updates when they are really just mad at the publisher, media and culture that chose her books to climb the bestseller list. How many of these negative reviews and commentaries really do stem from jealousy? No, I am definitely not talking about Jeffrey and Steven, but the broader question does have to be asked.
And that means I also have to ask myself, if I didn’t feel some kind of kinship with Stephenie Meyer because she is just a mom like me, would I be on the side of those decrying the so-called Twilight phenomenon? I hope not, but I don’t know. I’m only human, like Bella.
