Pastoral Meanderings

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

I love to find the Lutherans in the movies or on TV. There was Lennie and Squiggy on Laverne and Shirley, in We're No Angels it was Robert De Niro and Sean Penn, or Leo Di Caprio who denies being one in Catch Me If You Can, etc... but this is just too bizarre. I cannot even report upon it except to say that Ashton Kutcher found out that his one night stand was a religious girl, a Lutheran from Texas. Read it and weep.

I prefer the movie portrayals of Lutherans to this real life one. What do you think?

6 comments:

Rev. Allen Bergstrazer said...: Woody and Kellie Boyd on Cheers were Lutherans. 2 & 1/2 men is a horrid show, and it sounds like they have found a man of similar character to succeed Charlie Sheen.; October 18, 2011 at 11:02 AM
Scott Diekmann said...: The real life Lutheran is "portrayed" as a sinner in need of absolution, just like the rest of us. That might actually be preferable to the Hollywood depictions of Lutherans and Christians in general. It's certainly an opportunity for dialogue with the rest of the world.; October 18, 2011 at 12:55 PM
Ted Badje said...: Walt Kowalski (Clint Eastwood)Everyone blames the Lutherans. - Gran Torino ;-); October 18, 2011 at 6:50 PM
Terry Maher said...: The Cheers thing was a total farce. Like anything in the character development before indicated any concern whatsoever on either Woody's or Kelly's part for the Lutheran confessions. It was a slam on religious conviction altogether, Lutheran or otherwise.

The Eastwood line in Gran Torino was classic -- the reference was to US groups helping Hmong immigration. Eastwood's character was Catholic.

Clint Eastwood is the greatest theologian of our times. Throughout his movies, the struggle of good and evil, the breaking of either one into the other, the tightrope between the two, and salvation from the dilemma -- his movies are essays, tomes, Tolkien for real men and women.

Especially Unforgiven, even the title. We all got it coming kid.

For A Few Dollars More, Tightrope, Dirty Harry, Sudden Impact, The Outlaw Josey Wales, Absolute Power (Eastwood's character is "Luther"), In The Line of Fire, True Crime, Unforgiven, Gran Torino -- canonical works if ever there were.; October 19, 2011 at 12:11 AM
Rev. Allen Bergstrazer said...: Terry; yes the Cheers thing was just a few lines in a script to get a laugh.

You reminded me of one of my favorit movie lines; "dyin' ain't much of a living." Yeah there is theology in that.; October 19, 2011 at 8:20 AM
Anonymous said...: Don't forget "Raising Helen" with the line about needing a blood test to see if she's Lutheran.

Tim Landskroener; October 19, 2011 at 9:19 AM