National Review’s 25 Best Conservative Movies of the Last 25 Years did what all good lists do, ignite debate and discussion. Last week, NRO’s own Kathryn Jean Lopez jumped in to make a solid case in favor of “Rocky Balboa,” yesterday Maura Flynn stirred things up with a little disagreement and smart choices of her own, and on Monday Ben Shapiro weighed in with a line by line argument for and against the NRO picks and a few excellent additions, including “Tombstone,” and “L.A. Confidential.” Thus far, it’s been a fascinating conversation, and while I normally don’t argue “taste,” Ben’s opinion on “Braveheart” requires a response:
It’s an action epic with some romance thrown in. Liberals could easily caricature Braveheart‘s Longshanks as a redneck, particularly after he defenestrates the prince’s gay lover.
Ben’s correct about what “Braveheart” is and what liberals could do with it, but you also have to look at what “Braveheart” is about. The film’s essence is about fighting and dying for liberty, a value the Left conceded thirty-plus years ago on the Killing Fields of Southeast Asia straight through to their call last year to strip 25 million innocent Iraqis of their liberty (and security) in the hopes of embarrassing George W. Bush. Like patriotism-when-the-guy-you-didn’t-vote-for-is-in-office, what was once a universal value has become through default, a conservative value.
Of course, what this really means is that our homework over the weekend is to give each of these titles a screening in order to complete the important business of deciding who’s right. You should add “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” to the mix, as well, because … well, because it rawks.
Here are five more for the pile that I don’t recall showing up on anyone’s also-ran list:
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1. The Passion of the Christ (2004): If someone were to ask me why I believe Mel Gibson’s heart wrenching dramatization of Christ’s final hours is a conservative film, my first answer would be, “Because so many on the left hated it so much.” From the major studios refusing to distribute it, to the full-time public relations assault to strangle “The Passion” in the crib, never has a film so stirred up the rage of so many.
This was probably due to the fact that “The Passion” was not a touchy-feely, socialism-is-the-only-way-to-Heaven experience. This was religion; unfiltered Christian religion that made no apologies for saying the way to Heaven is through Jesus. Gibson also reminded us that Christ didn’t just die for our sins — dying was the easy part – Christ was tortured without mercy for hours for our sins. It’s interesting how frequently those who embrace “spirituality” also loathe religion.
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2. Ratatouille (2007): “The Incredibles” (#2 on NRO’s list) is a fine choice for the reason Ben explains:
[T]he Incredibles represent a family with extraordinary abilities who learn that they should embrace their extraordinariness.
But while “The Incredibles” is a great film, “Ratatouille” is a masterpiece and even more conservative. The story of a rat with unique cooking skills does examine the same theme of extraordinariness, which is summed up in a monologue by Anton Ego (Peter O’ Toole), the film’s appropriately named food critic: “Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere.” But “Ratatouille” goes beyond a single conservative theme to upend a decades-long Hollywood sacred cow which demands morally superior animals teach humans “very special” lessons.
Our rodent protagonist is Remy, and the film’s first shocker is that he doesn’t see we humans as threats to his natural habitat, spoilers of Mother Earth or an aberration of the eco-system. He sees us in a wholly positive light, even superior to his own species, which is made up of thieves who don’t wash their hands. Remy aspires to be like us, those who do more than survive, “…they discover, they create.”
“The Incredibles” is undoubtedly more exciting and adventurous, but “Ratatouille” is an abundance of rich themes and ideas.
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3. No Country For Old Men (2007): Andrew Klavan wrote of last year’s Best Picture winner:
…a decidedly conservative film that linked the evil of its nihilist serial killer to the decline of morals since the 1960’s. “Once you stop hearing sir or ma’am,” says the film’s lone moral voice, “the rest [of the evil] will follow.”
This evil is personified by Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem), an unreal entity who cannot be stopped or negotiated with. Live life the way you should and maybe he’ll pass by your door (all depends on the way the coin lands). Do wrong, however, and you and your loved ones face a furious reckoning — and there’s no coin flip for those who bring evil upon themselves.
When Sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) enters the motel room, Chigurh hides behind a door and then seems to vanish into thin air. Evil wouldn’t or couldn’t touch this decent man. At the same time, this decent man couldn’t stop evil, either. It just moves on, this thing some don’t believe exists.
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4. True Lies (1994): Yes, the bad guys are terrorists not from Eastern Europe or Alabama, and it is none other than Charlton Heston in charge of protecting America from evildoers, but James Cameron’s ridiculously entertaining comedy-actioner also flips on its ear the worn stereotype of the dopey dad. When the old man turns out to be a super-spy who saves the world, frumpy mom blossoms into Jamie Lee Curtis, surly daughter gets her act together, and the whole family unites to fight for the old red, white, and blue.
Our first sign “True Lies” was conservative should have come when critics labeled it misogynist.
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5. Thirteen (2003): Though not at all conservative in its harrowing presentation of a thirteen year-old girl run sexually amok in pursuit of popularity, director Catherine Hardwicke’s (“Twilight“) unflinching condemnation of the soul-destroying effects of the “celebrity lifestyle” is a cry for the traditional in a home without a father and only a hippy-dippy mom (Holly Hunter) more interested in being a friend than parent.
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