My Ride with the Devil

When "Ride with the Devil" was released, I didn't read any reviews of it. I had read about it while it was being filmed. I had a big crush on Tobey Maguire, ok? So I went to it without any warning from the critics. My opinion of the film would be entirely my own.

After seeing it the first time, I became obsessed. I saw it in the movie theater seven times, six by myself because I wanted to remain undisturbed during the entire film.

So imagine my shock when tonight, over ten years later, I read its box office results while researching where it was filmed (Pattonsburg, Missouri) and discovered it's considered a flop. It was like $35 million to make, but it only earned like $650,000 or something like that. And many critics said as a character study/action film it didn't quite fit together.

Really? Is this another "Walking and Talking"? I have unfriended people for disliking the movie "Walking and Talking".



I once recommended it to a friend at work, and when she reported to me the next day that she thought it was "awful" I never felt the same way about her again. It would be like finding out after a year that your boyfriend is a Republican.

My brother Pat, God love him, once replied, "Yeah, she could warn everyone what movies NOT to see with her raving reviews" when my mom said to me, "You should write movie reviews." I had just come home from yet another failed corporate job, before I started working at the library.

But then I found this review of the film, and I can see why yes of course I love it. "Like all of Lee's films, Ride with the Devil, an ambitious Civil War epic featuring career-best performances by Tobey Maguire and Jeffrey Wright, appeals more to the ears than the eyes and is more literate than cinematic." Words words words. I love 'em.

Here's my favorite quote:

Jake Roedel: "What kind of liberty is it that takes away the liberty of others?"

Amen.



But yeah. If you want to remain my friend, please do not take the liberty of telling me you think "Ride with the Devil" or "Walking and Talking" suck.