Friendo: “I read your cowardly praise of Charlie Kaufman’s film, which is awful.”
HE: “My praise of the Kaufman film was cowardly?”
Friendo: “Yes, because it’s a bad movie and no one will say so.”
HE: “No, it’s a nervy, disturbing nightmare vision of rural America and weird parents, and the lingering effect of a dark, suppressive childhood, and a vision of loneliness and despair and the dreams that are set free by returning to the homestead, especially when the music of Oklahoma! is heard along with the dancing of Agnes de Mille…”
Friendo: “Over-indulged, undisciplined navel gazing. The only reason people aren’t giving it proper criticism is the Paul Thomas Anderson syndrome — fear of challenging someone who’s revered. Greta Gerwig, PTA, Safdies and now Kaufman get a free pass from critics. I do not know why.”