Oleanna's Fatal Flaw

I received an e-mail from Gringo Richardson yesterday that included the following movie review: " . . . watched one of my ten favorite movies again this week – Oleanna. As always I was fascinated and intrigued. I have always wanted to know what the 'turning point' could have been, that is when she was will to confide in him that she was very bad and was going to tell him something she had never told anyone. It seems to me that the prof. mishandled the whole thing from the very start, had three opportunities to redeem himself, assuming he did something wrong, and in the end completely self destructed by what some refer to as a fatal flaw. A classic, 5 stars, two thumbs up."

Oleanna is not one of my ten favorites, Gringo. I thought the professor, played by William Macy, was a total jerk and I associate the film with the conservative backlash against Political Correctness. As I see it, the film encourages viewers to be skeptical of accusations of sexual harassment since the “feminist” student was such a vindictive manipulator. The Human Stain is another film/novel in that vein (here the skepticism was towards accusations of racial prejudice). To be sure, not all accusations of sexual harassment and bigotry are legit, but I have more use for films that level their political critique at other demons.

I think the film does usefully expose the flaw in thinking that one-on-one contact with professors is the pedagogical ideal. Better to get students in a room with several professors at the same time and let the profs keep each other real.

The last film I gave two thumbs up to: Capote.
The last film I gave five stars to: The Edukators.

My top 2 films starring Williams Macy:
1. Fargo (1996)
2. Door to Door (2002--which he also wrote)
Two other recommended films in which Macy appears
1. Spartan (2004; directed by Chicago native David Mamet—who also directed and wrote Oleanna)
2. Psycho (1998; directed by Gus Van Sant)

I’m looking forward to seeing Transamerica, which stars Macy’s wife, Felicity Huffman (I’ve never seen Desperate Housewives).

Top films directed or written by Mamet
1. The Verdict (1982; written by)
2. Glengarry Glen Ross (1992; written by)
3. The Winslow Boy (1999; written by and directed)
4. Spartan (2004; written by and directed)
5. Hoffa (1992; written by)