Posted on 07/25/2005 7:41:34 AM PDT by Conservomax
DENVER (AP) - Some military veterans and law enforcement officials are angry about a Web site promoting Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn's comedy "Wedding Crashers."
To win the affections of attractive bridesmaids in the movie, two fun-loving partiers pretend to be Purple Heart recipients.
New Line Cinema's movie Web site includes a fake, paper Purple Heart to cut out, with the spoof: "Carrying a Purple Heart in your jacket guarantees you attention, admiration and plenty of free booze."
"I challenge the producer of that movie to go to Walter Reed Hospital and walk through the ward and see if he still wants to print out a fake Purple Heart," said Thomas Cottone, Jr., a special agent with the FBI who enforces a federal law that prohibits wearing, manufacturing, buying, selling or trading a Medal of Honor.
"Talk to some of these people who don't have legs anymore and see how funny they think that movie is."
New Line Cinema, which produced the movie, did not return a phone message.
A bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives Friday would expand federal law to allow prosecution of anyone who falsely claims to have earned a military medal or a Purple Heart.
"Here's an example of Hollywood imitating life. Hopefully it brings to the American conscience that this is what is happening," said Doug Sterner, a Vietnam veteran who runs a Web site dedicated to Medal of Honor recipients.
Yeah, there is an epiphany scene, where one of the losers --- in mid scam --- realizes that he loves the girl/mark, followed by a breafast-table confession to a priest.
The Will Farrell character (late 40's living with mom, still scamming on women) brings home the emptiness, really.
I recommend it, if you occassionally laugh at South Park (e.g., recognizing the message when the Nazi PC police who take the boys to a re-education camp to learn to be PC).
That's good.
Just wanted to make sure it was pretty clear, for it has to be pretty obvious for most viewers to catch on.
There's nothing to protest. They don't even show them using the Purple Hearts. The entire scene is when they're working their schedule for which weddings to crash when Owne Wilson's character points out that some of them have cash bars Vince Vaughn's character whips out his jewlery box with two Purple Hearts saying "I've got that covered". That's all there is, they're presented as these sleezy guys plan to not have to pay for drinks, nothing else. They don't even say what the medals are, they're just on screen for like 2 seconds. There's no there there.
Now that you mention it, there isn't any. A lot of explicit language and sexual humor, but since the movie (finally!) wasn't aimed at a PG-13 audience of 13-year-old boys, they didn't need any of the gross-out stuff.
One of my favorite scenes is when Vaughan and Wilson are sitting on the steps with a bottle of champagne the morning after one of their crashes, and Wilson starts to get a little wistful:
Wilson: "Do you ever think that maybe we're being...I don't want to say sleazy, because that's not the right word...(theater audience cracks up, because that is exactly the right word) but maybe a little immature?"
Vaughan: "Nah! Come on! Some day, we'll look back on all of this and laugh. Just a couple of dumb kids, ya know, screwing around."
Wilson: "We're not that young."
I wonder how he'll vote? Perhaps he'll choose that day for one of his many absences, if it ever gets to the Senate.
I don't think we need to wonder how he'll vote. You're right -- he'll most likely be absent that day.
I agree with you about it being a movie/ i personally like the movie,
Also, my father, a WWII marine corps vet, would be inclined to agree with you on the PH issue. He was blown out of a landing craft at Zambowanga and woke up a week later with a severe concussion.
When he was better he was given his rifle and sent into the fight, no PH was ever given to him.
This is one of the many reasons he hates Kerry with every fiber of his being.
We lost a lot of really good men out there. I don't want to talk about it.
Same reason some vets are joining Hanoi Jane in protesting against our role in the War on Terror?
I would bet the majority of those protesting the movie have not seen it.
Might be time to bring out the Kerry purple heart band aids that we saw at the convention.
The scene does not mock the military.
It mocks the two liars and "poseurs."
I'm sure it also mocks HOW EASY it is for any Joe blow bygamist whose life career is playing the poseur to purchase a real or fake purple heart, military of honor and valor, basically anything to appear like a real Military or officer stud to woo and trick lonely women out of their life savings. This con occurs too many times.
"This con occurs too many times."
Yep. Which is why there is now a bill pending to make it illegal.
You can actually buy real and fake medals on ebay, I believe.
As an aside, I hope the proposed law doesn't make buying/selling medals illegal because of this type of twit, as I collect Civil War and WWI medals! Perhaps they could make the trade illegal for "recent" medals --- i.e. ones that could plausibly be used by a con man.
We loved this movie and will probably see it again.
It was great because it was not politically correct.
We could not stop laughing
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