Watch this: ‘The Landlord’
More on the Richard Dutcher/Mormon cinema/Kieth Merrill brouhaha later — I’m doing some fact-checking that’s proving onerous — but in the meantime, you must, simply MUST, watch this 2 1/2-minute film called “The Landlord.” It features Will Ferrell, his longtime friend and collaborator Adam McKay, and McKay’s daughter, Pearl. It contains a bit of PG-rated language. It is incredibly funny.
(It’s on YouTube, too, but the video quality on its originating site, which I’ve linked to, is much better.)
April 17th, 2007 at 11:57 am
Saw it yesterday, actually. Very funny stuff.
Hopefully I don’t get busted for watching that through campus internet at BYU… shouldn’t the administration have a sense of humor by now?
April 17th, 2007 at 12:19 pm
Wow, that was one of the funniest video’s i’ve ever seen.
April 18th, 2007 at 10:18 am
The link didn’t work for me. But I looked it up on YouTube.
April 18th, 2007 at 12:46 pm
Maybe I’m an old fuddy-duddy, but the video sort of bothered me. I understand it’s a comedic device to juxtapose extremes - in this case the innocence of a child against distasteful adult behavior - but whenever doing so involves a child, it just rubs me the wrong way. I realize I’m probably making too much of this, but one could argue this video to be an extremely minor example of a bigger problem in our overall society - a growing lack of reverence for the innocence of a child. Anyway, I can see how one could find it funny, but I just didn’t.
April 18th, 2007 at 2:03 pm
I agree with Amy. I think the language Pearl had to learn for her role was completely inappropriate, especially since toddlers have remarkable memories. It’s not like she learned the cussing and beer references and then forgot them. I found the clip disturbing, actually.
April 18th, 2007 at 2:17 pm
If it helps you sleep any better, Adam McKay, whose 2-year-old daughter Pearl is, said in the LA Times, “She’s in that phase right now where you can repeat anything to her and she won’t remember it.” I doubt she “learned” anything. Her dad is just off-camera, telling her what to say, and she’s repeating it, unaware of what it means. Or at least that’s what her dad thinks. I guess if she soon develops a fondness for beer due to having said the word “beer” and carrying around a bottle of it, we’ll know Dad was wrong.
April 19th, 2007 at 1:37 pm
You know, when I mentioned that toddlers have remarkable memories, I was speaking from experience. I have a 3 1/2 year old and a 2 year old right now, and I am amazed (and often a little chagrined) at what they remember–especially if it’s words or actions that get a lot of attention. I’m not supposing that Pearl’s going to start asking for beer instead of milk, but it is certainly likely that she’ll use the swear words again, even if she doesn’t know what they mean. I don’t think toddlers “unlearn” things as easily as Adam McKay thinks they do. I don’t think Pearl is psychologically damaged or anything, but I would hate to have to explain to my toddlers why those words they used that one time aren’t appropriate anymore.
April 21st, 2007 at 5:30 pm
I’m with Amy and Amp. McKay is full of crap. I have a 21 month old and he is all memory. I thought it was a funny video, a good concept, but its not necessary to have the kid swear. The beer didn’t bother me, because to her its just a bottle, but the swearing did.
May 3rd, 2007 at 12:36 am
I have a three year old. By the beard of Zeus, the video made me cry I was laughing so hard.