‘Neighborhood Watch’ should go into hiding
Wait till next year. That’s probably the best marketing strategy for 20th Century Fox when it comes to the release of “Neighborhood Watch,” a summer comedy starring Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill and Ben Stiller as suburban crime-watch volunteers. Even though the movie was of course conceived and filmed well before the Feb. 26 shooting of Trayvon Martin by neighborhood watchdog George Zimmerman, there’s no way of avoiding the comparisons — unless you shelve the film for a year.
In the trailer for “Neighborhood Watch,” which was pulled after the Martin shooting, the stars are seen patrolling their turf while a hip-hop tune blasts and Jonah Hill mimics firing a gun. The film itself wasn’t even going to feature that scene; as the New York Times reports, director Shawn Levy shot separate footage for the trailer to throw audiences off the real theme of the movie.
Spoiler alert! In reality, “Neighborhood Watch” is about an alien invasion. The suburban shlubs are protecting their neighborhood from creatures from outer space. I know. Oscar time, right? Regardless of the silly, escapist nature of the movie, with that title and with the trailer already having been seen, Fox is probably better off just putting the whole thing on hold.
We saw this on a larger scale post9/11, when literally dozens of movies, books and TV shows were edited, postponed or canceled so as not to appear callous. (Remember, the first poster for the upcoming “Spider-man” blockbuster had shown Spidey dangling in his web in mid-air, between the Twin Towers.)
I’m not one to advocate over-sensitivity in these matters. Do I think anyone should be offended by a summer movie about an alien invasion because it’s called “Neighborhood Watch”? No.
But if you’re a major studio trying to get back your $50 million-plus investment on a seemingly harmless comedy, the best business move? Push it back.
First Amendment rights and wrongs
It started with the tweets and Facebook postings wondering if I was against the First Amendment. It turned downright ridiculous when the host of a podcast contacted me and said, “Would you like to come on and talk about your hatred of the First Amendment?”
Excuse me? I’ve been working as a writer and broadcaster for more than half my life. I live and breathe the First Amendment.
Let’s rewind the DVR for a second. Last week I was talking and tweeting about the story of the bartender at a Gold Coast nightclub who was fired after she posted a series of execrable comments about black customers on her Facebook page.
As the story spread to the Chicago Sun-times, Huffington Post, WLS-AM, et al., a surprising number of commenters rushed to the woman’s defense — not to support her ugly views but to support her right to express those views on Facebook without fear of workplace repercussions.
The First Amendment was tossed around more often than a Frisbee on the first nice day of spring.
A sampling of the tweets and posts and emails I received or saw regarding the story: “Uh hello, First Amendment!” “Not fair. [Her] job and her Facebook page are separate.”
“Since when is Roeper opposed to the First Amendment? You don’t think [the bartender] has the right to freedom of speech?”
“So I guess you hate the First Amendment . . .” Sigh. The First Amendment (“Congress shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom of speech”) concerns your rights to speak freely without fear of the government silencing you. It does not prohibit your employer from firing you if you say stupid things about your job on Facebook.
In this case, the bartender was not handcuffed by the government and taken away for her comments. She was fired from her job, and if you know a constitutional lawyer who believes she was wronged, please let me know.
Let’s put it this way: If you believe the bartender’s free speech rights were violated and she shouldn’t have been fired, why don’t you go on your Facebook page right now and let loose with every negative thought you’ve ever had about your employer, your place of work and your colleagues. After all, they can’t fire you because you have First Amendment rights!
Ahem. Please don’t really do that.
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