By Josh Hornbeck
Lawrence Sterne’s 1759 novel The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman was one of the first post-modern works of literature – and that was even before the “modern” literary movement had been conceived. In it, the novel’s protagonist, one Tristram Shandy, attempts to relate the story of his life, but he is consistently sidetracked by tangential stories that become long and elaborate divergences from the main thrust of his own narrative – mainly focusing on the life of his kindly but eccentric Uncle Toby. As the story continues to unfold, or rather, as it continues to get further and further away from the main story, Tristram finds that as he tries to tell his own story, he can’t keep up with the speed at which his life is moving. By the time the novel ends and Tristram dies, he hasn’t even been born yet. With hand drawn figures, sketches and illustrations (even an entire page that consists of one large black box), Tristram Shandy is widely thought to be un-filmable. So who would bother to attempt such a feat? Director Michael Winterbottom and British comedian Steve Coogan thought they were up to the challenge and proceeded to make one of the most entertaining and exhilarating films I’ve seen in a long while.
Instead of a faithful point-by-point retelling of Tristram Shandy’s plot (what little there is to begin with), Winterbottom and writer Frank Cottrell Boyce decide to highlight Sterne’s exploration of the attempt to tell a story by making the attempt to craft a film the focal point of their adaptation. Coogan plays a version of himself, playing the lead actor in a filmed adaptation of Tristram Shandy. His real-life friend and frequent co-star Rob Brydon plays – you guessed it – Rob Brydon, another actor in the film. Various other performers play themselves or crew members or the significant others of those involved in the filmmaking process. Scenes from the novel are shown as they are being filmed. Other scenes are echoed and transmuted to the behind-the-scenes moments we see when the cameras are “turned off.” And as the fictional Coogan attempts to shed his bad boy image by performing in a work of depth and substance, we see him grasping with many of the same themes Sterne wrestled with while writing Tristram Shandy. Fittingly, the film ends before the movie is actually finished, and – as with the novel – before Tristram is born. It is a very funny, very engaging, and very bizarre little film.
Perhaps what Tristram’s inability to tell his story indicates is the tumultuousness and chaos of life. The film echoes this broad theme in showing the chaos of the filmmaking process, and the chaos of Coogan’s life. As they film them, scenes don’t quite work out the way they were planned. One battle sequence, intended to be the action centerpiece of the film, shows (as Coogan points out) tens of men. Costumes are changed at the last moment to accommodate the whims of actors and historical authenticity. Investors want to cut back on Coogan’s role in order to bump up Brydon’s. Steve’s girlfriend has come down for the weekend with their new baby, but Coogan doesn’t have any time to spend with them – what with casting travesties, dailies to be screened, and meeting after meeting to make sure the film actually works. The entire process of creation – and of Steve’s life – is grounded in this chaos.
At times, life does seem chaotic. Events swirl around us, many times without any thought or control on our part – sometime even without our knowledge. The tragedies of life come upon us all, often without warning. As much as we would like to pretend that we are the masters of our own destiny, the very sad fact of the matter is that we can’t even control whether or not we’ll wake up in the morning. Of course, we have to take responsibility for our actions, but at the end of the day, we don’t have much control over the events that occur in our lives. For many, this thought – this fact about our lack of control over our universe – in incredibly disheartening. Life becomes meaningless and an overwhelming depression and despair sets in. However, as Christians, we get to see the underlying hope in this fundamental truth about our reality. While it may not be recognized as such, this lack of control shows us just how in control God is of our universe. And isn’t it reassuring to know that the world isn’t controlled by fallible humanity, but by a kind and loving God?
Throughout the film, Coogan’s personal (and professional) vanity rears its ugly head as they attempt to make their version of Tristram Shandy. He balks at giving more scenes to Brydon – who constantly refers to himself as a co-lead – in fear that Brydon will end up having a larger part in the film than him. He forces the costume designer to remake the shoes so that Brydon’s heels are shorter and that his own are taller. As much as Rob may be his friend, Steve refuses to treat him as one, consumed as he is by his own need to prove himself. Again, it echoes the novel. Tristram may want to be the lead character in the story of his life, but because he’s never able to get past the moment of his birth, all of the novel’s supporting characters become the true focal points for the story.
Like Steve, vanity gets us all from time to time. We want to be the lead actor in the story of our life and we’re going to make certain that happens – no matter what the consequence. If something doesn’t go our way, we let it be known that we were wronged, we offer up excuses as to why life is so unfair to us, we do our best to regain control of our life. It’s easy for us to, as Coogan does to Rob throughout the film, mock and ridicule those we don’t think are talented or gifted or worthy of the opportunities they have found. We make ourselves look better by making others look worse. It’s an ugly, vicious cycle. And there doesn’t seem to be any way out of it at times. But it’s a cycle that Christ calls us to leave – respecting others, humbling ourselves before those we think aren’t worthy. It’s difficult to throw our vanities aside, but it is essential to our lives as believers.
As they go about trying to make their film, the filmmakers and performers are constantly asking themselves why they are making this movie. Is this really a worthwhile project? Is it really worth the amount of money the investors are spending? Is creating this film really worth the time and the energy that the cast and the crew are giving to the project? And what is the point? These are good questions, important questions that we all have to ask during the course of our lives. We all have to look at our lives and ask whether they have meaning and purpose. We have to examine whether or not the work we do is really worthwhile. Are we following the course that God has laid out before us? Or are we simply biding out time, trying to make ends meet while we do everything except that which God has called us to? These are hard questions we all have to face at some point in our lives and in our careers. And once we have faced them, what will we do with the answers?
Fathers and sons become an integral part of the film, as well as the film within the film. Tristram’s father (also played by Coogan) is determined to have a son who will do mighty things. He even creates an encyclopedia of knowledge that will be passed down to his son as he grows up. This is echoed as we see Steve’s relationship with his own son. He wants a better life for his child, and while he may have the money to provide financial security for him, he realizes that money isn’t going to give his son the better life he dreams of. It’s going to come down to whether Steve will become a better man or whether he will simply return to his womanizing and wild life once the novelty of fatherhood has worn off. By the end of the film we are left with the sense that yes, Coogan will in fact become the man he needs to become. He son hasn’t only settled him, but it also has provided him with the incentive to live a different, more stable life.
Deep down, I think we all know that we need live a better life than the one we’re currently leading. But there’s a myth in our culture that says we can live as wildly and as promiscuously as we would like for as long as we would like. Everything will change once we find that one special person and decide to settle down. Or everything will change once we have a child and finally see the need to settle down. The truth is, living lives of reckless abandon isn’t something we can just walk away from. There is a deep wounding and scarring of the heart that occurs when we ignore morality and conscience. So yes, we may find that special person to settle down with or we may have our child and decide that it’s time to give up our former selves, but these lives aren’t easy to leave. These lives aren’t lives we just abandon. No matter how many incentives we have to stay on the straight and narrow, we won’t remain there for long. The tug on our hearts is too strong, too powerful for us to resist. And in truth, the only thing that can set us free – that can truly set us free – is Christ. Sure, there will still be struggles, but it is only through the salvation we find in Jesus Christ that we will ever truly be free from our lives of sin. On our own, we just have good intentions. And good intentions, no matter what the incentive, just aren’t good enough.
The film contains frequent strong language. None of it feels particularly out of place, or even all that noticeable, but it is there nonetheless. There are a few more explicit moments of sexual dialogue.
There are two sex scenes, one played for comedy, one played for tenderness. Both fit that story and aren’t played for titillation. Neither contains any nudity.
There is some very brief male nudity.
(Posted 08/09/2006)
