MovieChat Forums > Nell (1994) Discussion > Does this movie insult anyone else?

Does this movie insult anyone else?


I've seen this movie a few times and the entire story line insults me. I am from the mountains of North Carolina. (It was actually filmed in the town next to mine.) This movie makes us all look like backwoods hicks. I can't believe people watching this movie could actually believe there are people like Nell living in the woods, in complete isolation. Nell and the characters of the town greatly misrepresent all of us living in Western North Carolina. Does this movie insult anyone else?

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Hmmm.....my family is from Georgia and Alabama, and there have been many portrayals of people from both of these states. I'm not offended in anyway becuase I live in reality and I know that the director, writer, and producer aren't out to get me or anyone in those two states. I am also part Native American and my ancestry has been made fun of many times. Again I am not insulted by this because it is all fiction. Get a life and stop reading so much into these things. If you want to be insulted by a movie then go watch Deliverance and be insulted by that movie.

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[deleted]

This entire thread is ridiculous - from the assinine sense of being personally insulted by a fictional story about a fictitious character in a 'fictitious' area, to people venting and spewing useless diatribes about their own places of residence and the horribly offensive lifestyles observed therein... there is very little in this thread actually about the movie itself. What a waste of space to vent about being personally offended by 'Hollywood Stereotypes'.

People, this is a MOVIE, with a far deeper meaning than those of you finding it worthy of complaining about will ever get. Several meaningful posts try to enlighten you poor shallow souls, but you ought to simply go back to watching Pro Wrestling or Nascar and leave the intellectualization of movies to those viewers with the capacity to see the deeper, true meaning behind such beautiful storylines. And... if you must insist upon watching and commenting upon such stories as this, then at least take the time to watch the commentaries and special features. You will learn a great deal about what the movie is truly 'about'. Chances are, there will not be a message indicating it was meant to be offensive or insulting to 'you'.

Nell is a gem, an absolute gem of a story. Jodie Foster exceeds all expectations, she is beautifully magnificent in her role. All supporting cast/characters are perfectly matched. It's an incredible movie.

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Hmmm. For this being a "ridiculous thread", I notice you managed to make it to the end of it. And btw, I rather enjoyed your personal "useless diatribe" as well. ;-D LOL

Aside from all that, though, it appears most people here share your opinion, as do I--Nell *is* an incredible movie and Jodie Foster positively shines in it, as does Liam Neeson. It's worth watching way more than once!

http://www.myspace.com/redeemersgirl

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If anyone came away from seeing this movie with feelings of offensiveness, then somethings drastically wrong with that person.

"NELL" is one of the most under-rated masterpieces that I've ever had the honor of observing. If anyone was "stereotyped", it was Nell. She was labeled by people who'd never had the chance to interact with her or get to know her. She is a prime example of how we relate to one another. If we see something that's out of the ordinary, or "not normal" with someone, we mentally apply a label to them, and do all that we can to avoid them.

Nell wasn't mentally retarded nor did she suffer from aspergers syndrome or autism. She merely was isolated for her entire life, protected by a mother who loved her the best way that she knew how.

If you're offended by the movie, then perhaps you need to stand in front of a mirror and take a long hard look at who you really are. Who are you on the inside? What in this life has happened to you to make you have the feelings that you have?

The producers of "NELL" should be congratulated on bringing us one of the best motion pictures in recent history. They attempted to break down the walls of stereotyping and show us who Nell really was.

Perhaps you should allow Jerry or Paula to become your doctors, and help you get over whatever it was that traumatized you so bad in the past that it's made you such a sensitive individual who's susceptible to offensiveness.

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Does this movie insult me? No. I'm not from N.C. I'm not from the south at all. But I understand prejudice. I'm sure all of us do to some extent given the chance to reflect. I have been deeply offended by parodies of East indians. Every jolly reference to fat, jolly,swastika loving,beer swilling,humorless Germans offends me. Deeply.
Jodie Foster is portraying a person who was raised in isolated circumstances by a handicapped mother.

Should we have placed her in in Alaska to make you more comfortable? Perhaps. But my gripe is bigger and more valid. So I want all the tv sitcoms and movies fixed and I want them fixed NOW.
Germans are serious yet jovial and broadminded. Deal with it. And Indians aren't all idiots with big eyes and dumb grins driving taxis or running motels.

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well, like the very 1st person to post, Im from a town about 20 minutes from where NELL was filmed in NC.
Im not at all offended. It's JUST A MOVIE!! And in 1994, NELL was a really good movie.
I was 7 years old when I come out but I remember getting my best friend and her parents and we went and saw the special preimere that they had for the town (robbinsville doesnt have a theater, so we had the closest theater).
My mother even drove me and my grandmother to the set and we got a peek at Jodie Foster.
Agin, I stress it was a movie.
it doesnt represent the people who live in the area.

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Oh, get over it. As a Texan, I'm constantly classified as a total cowboy-hat-and-boot-wearing hick in movies, and growing up in a small town doesn't make me look any better.

If people truly believe the way that different regions are shown in movies and TV, they need to get out more. Don't throw a fit about it, you look like a baby.

-------------------------------
FW LIVES

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I know it's been awhile since the subject was opened, but consider that the two doctors were also North Carolina residents - they certainly weren't "Stereotypical hicks."

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[deleted]

There are people who live like that. It wasn't a hit on the town it was filmed in. The movie's 14 years old, which is probably part of your "backwoods hicks" thing. Nell is not a representation of the town--she's an example of what can happen to people, and how some people can overcome such great difficulties.

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I thought the townspeople were accurate representations. A lot of boys the age of the guys in the poolhall do act that stupid. It's immaturity. It's found in hillbilly areas as well as every other area.

People in general stare at things or people that are different. How many times do you see people stop and stare at a 5 year old having a temper tantrum in the middle of the store? People stared at Nell, too, because she was acting strange. They stared at the cop's wife when she was crying because that was unusual to see.

Some people are ignorant, some people act silly. That's true in New York City and deep in the woods of NC. I'm referring to all the characters in the movie except for Nell.

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"Nell" is a beautiful film, and Jodie Foster was indeed superb. Ms. Richardson's accent was pretty bad, though; it sort of came and went erratically.

Are we to believe that, at the end, the judge just let Nell return to her home? And the media left her alone, to make friends locally like the sheriff's wife and some older women shown at the end? Ridiculous!

Also, apparently Nell's mother, after being raped, built the cabin all by herself, and delivered -- all alone -- twin girls, who never had illnesses needing medical attention. Liam Neeson's character, the local Irish doctor, said he had seen Nell's mother on one occasion, when he noted that half of her face was paralyzed ... and she must have set up arrangements for groceries to be delivered ... but nobody other than the delivery boy knew a woman was living "alone" up there?

How could Nell's mother be raped and then immediately disappear into the mountains forever -- didn't she have any family or friends? Or was she living alone in the mountains prior to being raped?

Plus, since Nell's twin sister had died more than 10 years previously, wouldn't the mother have "cured" Nell of her twin-speak, so that Nell's version of English was only diminished by her mother's distorted pronunciations?

And yes, Nell's wisdom in the courtroom scene seemed to come out of nowhere.

These are the points that I found insulting. I like logic.

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