What Makes a Great Monologue?
Last night we watched Ratatouille for "Family Movie Night." I like that movie more every time I see it. One of my favorite scenes is where Anton Ego reads his review of eating the dish of Ratatouille, created by a kitchen filled with rats. It has to be the greatest monologue in an animated film and perhaps one of the greatest monologues ever. Here, read it for yourself:
In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face, is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so.But there are times when a critic truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and defense of the new. The world is often unkind to new talent, new creations, the new needs friends. Last night, I experienced something new, an extraordinary meal from a singularly unexpected source. To say that both the meal and its maker have challenged my preconceptions about fine cooking is a gross understatement. They have rocked me to my core.
In the past, I have made no secret of my disdain for Chef Gusteau's famous motto: Anyone can cook. But I realize, only now do I truly understand what he meant. Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere.
So it got me thinking. What makes a great monologue? The delivery is clearly important. I once saw Vincent Price speak live, and his stage presence was so strong I would have been captivated to hear him read obituaries out of the paper. But I think it's the content that makes the real difference. I like Anton's review because it eloquently ties together three universal and very relevant truths:
- It's easy for any of us to become critical.
- There's risk in defending new things.
- Great things can come from anywhere (and do).
Here are a few other answers to what makes a great monologue. What's one of your favorite monologues and why?
Okay Maybe Talent Can Overcome
In the last post, I shared how all the great talent in the latest Indiana Jones movie couldn't overcome a bad decision. It only took about 24 hours for me to see the error of my ways. Here is a perfect example.
Although to support my earlier argument, there were several great decisions behind this talent:
- Edit, edit, edit.
- Practice, practice, practice.
- Edit, edit, edit.
I guess there is value in exposing the younger generation to legacy brands like Star Wars and Indy.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of Bad Decisions
My wife and I finally watched "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" the other night. What a disappointment! The movie was one part Indiana Jones, one part Close Encounters, and one part Ocean's 12. We couldn't understand why a great story teller like Steven Spielberg would sign on for such a poor story. From watching an interview with Lucas and Spielberg here seems to be the logic behind such a bad decision:
- Demand was strong - everywhere they went, people kept asking, "When is the next Indiana Jones coming out?"
- Keep the legacy brand alive - Spielberg wanted to make it for those that never saw any of the other Jones movies.
- Lucas drove the alien (oh, excuse me interdimensional being) and they went along with it.
Here's a link to Spielberg talking about the movie:
The real moral of this movie is strong talent can't overcome a bad decision.