Crispy Brown

This might be a bit cruel. Also you'd have to have a fairly good knowledge of the movie 'My Left Foot' to get it. So, too cruel? Too esoteric? Just crap?

Show CRISPY BROWN, a boy with on the ground struggling, he only moves his left foot.

V/O
This year, watch a boy face a struggle.

CRISPY'S SISTER
Dad would you not at least pick him up off the ground.

Pan back to show DAD sitting in a chair right next to CRISPY.

V/O
That he can't possibly overcome.

CUT TO:
CRISPY outside with some other boys.

BOY #1
Let Crispy take it.

V/O
But watching him try.

CRISPY struggles to grasp a tennis racket with his foot. A tennis ball hits him in the head.

BOY #2
Nah, he can't serve.

V/O
Will be the funniest ride of your life.

CUT TO:
CRISPY on the ground. He has a piece of chalk in his left foot.

V/O
Crispy Brown in....'My Foot Work Fine But The Rest of Me Don't'

DAD
Tell the eejit to get up off the floor.

CRISPY'S SISTER
Da', he's writin' somethin'

MAM
Go on Crispy, make your mark.

We see the shocked faces of the family as CRISPY writes. The camera shows that he has written 'MOTHER'. As it zooms out we see he has actually written 'SMOTHER ME' and he is gesticulating/gyrating his body towards a cloth on the ground beside him.

Too cruel.

Don it is a little too cruel. I do love your other stuff though Where in Ireland would you be hailing from then... me laddie be God?

On second thoughts I could have just looked at your profile. 'Dublin based' was my first clue. Welcome aboard

Laughed out loud at the punchline, but yep, maybe a bit too cruel.

I had a bit of a snigger, but yes, a bit too cruel for me. A bit too.. 'Tramadol Nights'.

No, not for me. As I hav a sister who has MS, this hits too close to home for me, but even apart from that, it's wrong on so many levels. First, you're poking fun at someone's disability. I find that intrinsically wrong, though I'm sure there was no vindictiveness intended. Secondly, you're poking fun not just at a disability, but at a specific person who has a disability, and that's only ok when they deserve it, ie when the joke is at the expense of something else they did, and they just happen to be disabled in some way (Heather Mills springs to mind), but Christy Brown has done nothing to merit such treatment.

Thirdly, the ending is not at all funny, to me: just nasty. Sends the wrong sort of message. Finally, "My left foot" was out about 20 or more years ago, and though well known it was not a blockbuster, so a lot of people won't remember it and won't know what you're talking about, so the joke will be lost and this will just look weird to them.

Sorry, but on so many different levels this offends me, and as I say I know you didn't intend offence, but I just didn't find it funny at all. You have to be really careful when dealing with disability: it's not something to be treated lightly.

Quote: Trollheart @ January 12 2011, 3:36 PM GMT

No, not for me. As I hav a sister who has MS, this hits too close to home for me, but even apart from that, it's wrong on so many levels. First, you're poking fun at someone's disability. I find that intrinsically wrong, though I'm sure there was no vindictiveness intended. Secondly, you're poking fun not just at a disability, but at a specific person who has a disability, and that's only ok when they deserve it, ie when the joke is at the expense of something else they did, and they just happen to be disabled in some way (Heather Mills springs to mind), but Christy Brown has done nothing to merit such treatment.

Thirdly, the ending is not at all funny, to me: just nasty. Sends the wrong sort of message. Finally, "My left foot" was out about 20 or more years ago, and though well known it was not a blockbuster, so a lot of people won't remember it and won't know what you're talking about, so the joke will be lost and this will just look weird to them.

Sorry, but on so many different levels this offends me, and as I say I know you didn't intend offence, but I just didn't find it funny at all. You have to be really careful when dealing with disability: it's not something to be treated lightly.

View original

Sorry for offending you, and thanks for being frank yet courteous in your response. I've got a brother who's disabled so this topic is pretty close to home for me to.

I know the sketch is a bit cruel but I'm not (intentionally) poking fun at Christy Brown or the disabled. For me its people's misunderstanding of disability that brings the humour. Its really the Dad and Chrispy's friends who are the goons in this. The last scene could be quite upsetting, I can see that and apologise for it. I just thought it would be a funny contrast with how hopeful and uplifting the scene is in the actual movie.

Thanks everyone else who read this and commented.

Otterfox, it is indeed nice to see another Irish person, and with Trollheart we've now got three. Kind of reminds me of home...which is where I am right now.