When I was a kid, there were two movies that I was absolutely obsessed with. (Well, there are three if you count the cult classic Big Trouble in Little China, but I’m still obsessed with that one). The two aforementioned movies, though, were White Men Can’t Jump, and Falling Down. The former recently received a critically polarizing remake at Hulu. I really can’t see the latter getting revamped anytime soon and, if it does, I'm willing to be that it'll be nothing like the 1993 production. Not in this climate.
But I digress. We're here, because I recently rewatched Falling Down. Though I still enjoyed it, a discussion needs to be had. So let's talk this out.
As A 40-Year-Old Man, I Can 100% Relate With Some Of The Frustrations Of William Foster
The Joel Schumacher-directed film stars Michael Douglas as a former defense engineer named William Foster. He’s divorced and having one hell of a bad day. His less-than-positive outing kicks off with a traffic jam. It’s hot as all hell (as the story takes place in L.A., after all), and wouldn’t you know it, his air conditioner breaks down. As somebody who spent a whole summer driving back and forth to work with no air conditioning in his car, I can tell you right off the bat that by the time I got to work, I wasn’t smiling. In fact, I was downright ornery. I get all that.
I also understand the scene where Foster goes to a fast food joint and breakfast has just ended. I can't count how many times my kids have told me at the last minute they want breakfast at Burger King only to reach the place at 11:01 to see the lunch menu on display. Sure, in the back of my mind, I’m raging like the Hulk, but I have to remain calm and just tell my groaning kids they’re going to have to settle for fries or something.
Additionally, I identify with the moment that sees Foster talking to a road repair worker, who is basically doing nothing. (I don't know about that bazooka portion of the sequence, though.) So yeah, I definitely get Foster's overall feelings of annoyance that border on rage. But with that said…
As A 40-Year-Old Black Man, I Don't Know If I Can Relate In The Same Way Some Other Viewers Can
I’ve come a long way from being the dweeby, Black kid who used to watch movies with white protagonists doing white protagonist things. And upon rewatching Falling Down as a Black man rather than as a Black boy, well… I don’t know if I can view the movie through the same lens that I once did.
For one, as I mentioned earlier, I can definitely relate to being stuck in traffic (as I live in New Jersey). Yet I’ve never felt so beaten down by the world that I would just up and leave my vehicle. For one thing, as a Black person, I don’t have any sort of faith that I can just leave anything unoccupied (either out of fear that it will be stolen or in fear that the police will seek me out). And secondly, I need my car!
I know this isn't exclusive to the Black experience, but the movie spirals into lunacy shortly after Foster leaves his car. He later goes to a convenience store run by a Korean proprietor and asks for some change to make a phone call, which he doesn’t get. Foster then starts complaining that services and goods cost too much. A baseball bat, of course, then comes into the equation.
Yes, a lot of things do cost too much. But I've never felt entitled enough to “stand up for my rights…as a consumer” as Foster believes he does when he busts up the man’s store. And when watching Foster complains (while holding a gun) later in the movie about how breakfast should still be served at lunchtime, I couldn’t even imagine raising my voice at somebody behind the counter due to fear of causing a scene and perpetuating negative stereotypes about Black men.
I’m also not going walk around anywhere in public with a firearm. Honestly, there are just certain actions that people belonging to certain ethnic groups just won't do as a result of fear. (Our article on race and social justice touches on movies that explore this very topic.) All in all, I can relate to certain feelings that our protagonist has. However, the optics are just so different for a guy like Foster and a man like me that I wouldn’t even imagine undertaking some of the deeds he commits. That's a sad notion, but it's a lifelong truth for me.
I Now Understand The Movie Is Meant To Be Satirical, And It IS Funny... For The Most Part
You know what’s interesting? When I used to watch this flick as a kid, I never found it funny. But as an adult, I can definitely see that it's meant to be satirical or, at the very least, a black comedy.
It's not like I didn't understand dark comedy back when I was a youngin'. To put this in perspective, Beetlejuice used to scare the hell out of me as a child (and apparently, I wasn’t the only one who probably shouldn't have been allowed to watch it as a kid). Despite that, even I could tell that it was meant to be funny.
Nevertheless, I could never tell as a child that Michael Douglas fumbling with a bazooka (and having to be informed how to use it by a kid) was meant to be humorous, but it is! In fact, I found William Foster's simmering rage to be quite amusing, and much of that comes from Douglas' excellent performance. The Oscar winner skillfully plays a character who genuinely can't see that he's the menace.
There are some not-so-nice moments here and there (some of which involve racial issues) but, overall, I found myself laughing a lot more than I wassquirming.
Mass Shootings In Recent Years Somewhat Sour The Amusement This Film May Have Once Garnered
In spite of my praise of the comedy, I can't help but be a little disturbed when I see a man WITH A GUN walking around public spaces. The United States has always been a dangerous place with a veneer of safety. But that veneer has been eroding on a daily basis with news of mass shootings all over the country.
I absolutely don't want to turn this article into a downer but, these days, I very much fear going into public spaces and seeing men like William Foster, who might feel like the world just hasn't been fair to them. These are the types of people who are angry at society -- and have the firepower express their disdain with.
Honestly (and I hate that I have to feel this way), whenever I go somewhere, I find that I’m always looking to the doors like Tony during the ending of The Sopranos. I can never be completely comfortable because there’s always the possibility that someone might decide today’s the day and that they're going to try to take everybody down with them.
I know Michael Douglas doesn’t play William Foster like that, as he’s even likable in the movie. Still, I just couldn’t help getting that idea out of my mind when I rewatched the film. 2023 is not 1993. Not by a long shot.
Falling Down Feels Extremely Modern But Like A Relic Simultaneously
Lastly, I couldn’t help but think that Falling Down feels extremely modern but at the same time, a complete relic of a movie. I think I’ve spelled a lot of that out already in the previous sections, but I think it bears some repeating.
For one thing, BS doesn’t change. A lot of the elements William Foster is miffed about still exist today. Yes, a lot of them seem more like inconveniences than anything else but, when you’ve had a really bad day, or month, or YEAR, then every last annoyance becomes another acid drop to the eye. That just doesn’t change, and that’s why the movie is still somewhat relatable.
But as a pre-911 movie, Joel Schumacher's work seems like it comes from another world. After having experienced everything that September 11th put us through as a nation, the notion of somebody going postal over breakfast ending early seems beyond stupid. I know it’s just a film, and it’s not like I had to keep reminding myself. Even still, it feels like a flight of fantasy that seems even more ludicrous than something I might find in a Marvel flick.
Honestly, Falling Down is very much a ‘90s film, which feels odd since it still resonates today, especially in certain political spheres, but I’m not going down that route. I’ve probably upset enough people already.
But what do you think? Have you recently rewatched Falling Down? If not check it out, and those looking for more newer feature films can scan CinemaBlend's schedule of 2023 new movie releases.
