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A notable portion of the entries dealt with the delinquency, violence, drugs, and generally unsettling behavior of Generation Y. Out of the half-dozen flicks portraying youngsters at their worst behaved, a standout in the American Spectrum category was Born Rich, a documentary about the offspring of the extremely loaded. Without having any of the darker and potentially criminal conduct of the other movies, Born Rich made a big impression courtesy of the breath-taking douche-baggery affected by some of its participants. The complications of the kids’ wealth, their current privileges and future inheritances, and the ever-pervasive paranoia about being “cut off” are detailed through trips to country clubs, shopping sprees, Great Gatsby-themed birthday bashes, and interviews with ten cohorts of the film’s director, Jamie Johnson. The 23-year-old is a particularly qualified tour guide for the subject, being the crown prince of Johnson & Johnson pharmaceuticals. Born Rich is a who’s who of kids to rob at gunpoint: other expensive last names patrolling NYC in the film belong to Ivanka Trump, SI Newhouse IV, Michael Bloomberg’s daughter Georgina, and Josiah Hornblower of the Vanderbilt and Whitney broods. And glory be to Brown University. For lo, emerging from such illustrious competition to steal the show is Luke Weil, Brown class of ‘02 and heir to the Autotote casino gaming empire. Weil consistently outshines his affluent co-stars when it comes to colorfully expressing his contempt for the proletariat. Wisdom such as A&P heiress Juliet Hartford’s solemn meditation on what she would do with 1 million dollars (“I’d give it all away to the homeless—ha ha just kidding!”) are no match for Weil’s prodigious knack for gems like “If someone from some shitty little town in Connecticut is pissing you off [you can say] fuck you, I’m from New York and my family can buy your family.” While many of us curse those 93 exits of wrist-slitting fun some people call Connecticut as just a nuisance between NYC and PVD, rarely have both the dignity of an entire state and the existence of the soul been so neatly and simultaneously dismissed. Weil also has little respect for the institution of holy matrimony. When asked about marriage, the scion of Autotote has the following suggestion: “If this little ungrateful bitch has the nerve to [balk at a pre-nup], she’s just a gold digger and not worth it anyway.” Clearly, this movie kicks ass. However, Weil apparently disagreed, suing in New York State Supreme court in Manhattan to block the release of Born Rich before Sundance submissions were due in November. Perhaps the humble fellow, who brags on camera about taking LSD in 6th grade, sued out of modesty. But it was probably because he felt the film “tricked,” “embarrassed,” “humiliated,” and made “him an object of disdain, derision and obloquy.” In any case, the suit was unsuccessful. As it turns out, Weil had already signed three extremely unambiguous releases for Johnson, and prior restraint claims against the First Amendment when three unambiguous releases have already been signed are about as useful as Stephen Hawking’s gym membership. Justice Shirley Kornreich found the request “presumptively unconstitutional,” sending Weil, Johnson, and Born Rich on their merry way. Unfortunately for all of us, Born Rich has not yet been picked up for distribution. But rest assured, the film will surely one day attract an audience. For now though, Born Rich and its revelations will have to wait, conspicuous but peculiar; familiar but exotic; idiotic but who cares, like a Hummer outside Viva. Do you want Ryan Vanderboosh
B’03. to punchasize your face? For free. |
copyright © 2002, The College
Hill Independent
last updated 03 14 03
