Friends! Go to the Awl and read the witty badinage the cinetrix exchanged with fellow misanthrope Sean Burns on that Sopranos guy's first movie. And, if you live near one of the 19 theaters showing Not Fade Away in New York, LA, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Toronto, Jersey, Chicago, or Boston and have actually seen the damn thing, please tell us what we [or, more likely me, not Sean] got wrong in the comments. G'head. We can take it.
Amy: Oh, hey, can we talk about Grace's sister? The "Jenny" a la Forrest Gump embodiment of THE COUNTERCULTURE???
Sean: Not my favorite subplot. Her scenes are played a lot broader than the rest of the picture.
Amy: She LIVES IN THE VILLAGE. She DOES DRUGS. She PAINTS FUCKED-UP PICTURES. Why have her in the movie? Is she meant to suggest that even beautiful, rich Grace has depth and problems? How does she fit into your larger understanding of the Chase-i-verse?
Sean: Well, I originally thought she was so overscaled to suggest the exoticism of older sisters in the world of teenage boys.
Amy: Ah, that I would actually buy. Along with suggesting that even a rich, country club family and not just Pat the Pep Boy employee's goombah brood is confounded by the changing culture?
Sean: Yeah, and it is classic Chase that her flower-power slogans are often risible. He's remembering a time while being a bit too clear eyed to idealize anything. Well, anything except the music.
