Entr'acte

Unfortunately, Season 4 of Six Feet Under is what I have at home from Netflix, and that'd just be depressing to watch right now. So I turned, as so often since I've gone TV-less, to the online selection.

Puccini for Beginners was exactly what I needed: an indy situational comedy with overtly intellectual references. I'm not an opera-goer, so I didn't get some the opera comments or analogies (except the obvious ones), but there were plenty of funny asides about Kant, philosophy, and sociology.

The basic plot is the transformation of commitmentphobe Allegra (and you don't need a music background to understand the name's significance), who breaks up with her girlfriend and starts seeing both a woman and a man who, of course, turn out to be exes themselves. Hilarity and heartbreak ensue.

I really loved the movie. The dialogue was smart, the characters had depth, and it was a perfect mix of tradition and modernity. I also liked the way the film addressed stereotypes, sexuality, and relationships of any kind: they were interesting and piquing conversations, but not the main drama. In all, a wonderful and short (82 minutes!) way to transition from pondering the Bhavacakra to writing the outline for the presentation on the role of postmodernism and linguistics in critical legal theory. . . .