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Today I watched Change of Habit with my parents - I'd gotten it for my stepdad because of his fascination with nuns. Basically, it features Elvis as an inner-city doctor and Mary Tyler Moore as an undercover nun. And yes, it's as bad as it sounds. Its treatment of an autistic child was cringeworthy (though to be fair, this was psychiatric SOP for the day) - it features Elvis and Mary Tyler Moore holding an autistic child down and forcing her to accept hugs. For like, eight hours straight as she's kicking and screaming. And of course that makes a breakthrough (because it's ELVIS![tm]) and she turns into a nice, well-adjusted chatterbox. *eyeroll*
But I think its most so-bad-it's-good scene was the end. Mary Tyler Moore has gone back to her convent, torn between her vocation and ELVIS!. The film ends with her attending a church service at which ELVIS! is singing during the Eucharist (*snort*) and she looks off agonizedly into space, the film repeatedly cutting between the crucifix above the altar and the King down playing his gee-tar for the congregants. Jesus. ELVIS!. Jesus. ELVIS!. Which will she pick?
I think in the context of this film, it's a no-brainer. Why settle for a higher love when you can have ELVIS!?
It was also interesting noting the UNCANNY RESEMBLANCE between Charisma Carpenter (a.k.a. Cordelia on Buffy and Angel; copy and paste for link), especially when her hair's short, and Mary Tyler Moore. (You can't see it a whole lot from these pictures, but compare Mary Tyler Moore to Cordy circa late season 2/early season 3 Angel and the resemblance is SCARY.) It's clear that the Angel folks know this, given that her "Cordy!" show in the alternate reality mid-season 3 was a blatant homage to The Mary Tyler Moore Show, down to her throwing her hat in the air at the end of the credits. XD
(An interesting note: my mom went to see MTM talk at Unity Temple here in KC once, as part of some "inspiring women speakers" series, and she talked about Change of Habit. Basically, Elvis was nice and courteous; he couldn't act, but he was willing to learn and work at it. However, he had a whole bunch of yes-men saying "you don't need to learn to ACT, blahdy blah blah." She also said that she had not been aware that was what they would use for the ending - they had originally shot two endings, one in which she chooses ELVIS! and one in which she chooses being a nun. They ended up using neither and ending with the next-to-last scene. She was shocked when she saw the final cut and told them, "you can't release this film like this, there will be a massive outcry by the Catholic Church!" They did, and there wasn't. Because, of course, idolatry is OK if it's ELVIS!)
I also got the first issue of the Entertainment Weekly gift subscription my aunt Becky got me...the "year in review" issue, it turns out. Aside from some atrocious ads ("Twice as queer...two nights straight" advertising the new show Queer Eye for the Straight Girl), I think it's most notable for use of the term "peekaboob" in reference to the Super Bowl incident, which made me happy. "Peekaboob"...heh.
But I think its most so-bad-it's-good scene was the end. Mary Tyler Moore has gone back to her convent, torn between her vocation and ELVIS!. The film ends with her attending a church service at which ELVIS! is singing during the Eucharist (*snort*) and she looks off agonizedly into space, the film repeatedly cutting between the crucifix above the altar and the King down playing his gee-tar for the congregants. Jesus. ELVIS!. Jesus. ELVIS!. Which will she pick?
I think in the context of this film, it's a no-brainer. Why settle for a higher love when you can have ELVIS!?
It was also interesting noting the UNCANNY RESEMBLANCE between Charisma Carpenter (a.k.a. Cordelia on Buffy and Angel; copy and paste for link), especially when her hair's short, and Mary Tyler Moore. (You can't see it a whole lot from these pictures, but compare Mary Tyler Moore to Cordy circa late season 2/early season 3 Angel and the resemblance is SCARY.) It's clear that the Angel folks know this, given that her "Cordy!" show in the alternate reality mid-season 3 was a blatant homage to The Mary Tyler Moore Show, down to her throwing her hat in the air at the end of the credits. XD
(An interesting note: my mom went to see MTM talk at Unity Temple here in KC once, as part of some "inspiring women speakers" series, and she talked about Change of Habit. Basically, Elvis was nice and courteous; he couldn't act, but he was willing to learn and work at it. However, he had a whole bunch of yes-men saying "you don't need to learn to ACT, blahdy blah blah." She also said that she had not been aware that was what they would use for the ending - they had originally shot two endings, one in which she chooses ELVIS! and one in which she chooses being a nun. They ended up using neither and ending with the next-to-last scene. She was shocked when she saw the final cut and told them, "you can't release this film like this, there will be a massive outcry by the Catholic Church!" They did, and there wasn't. Because, of course, idolatry is OK if it's ELVIS!)
I also got the first issue of the Entertainment Weekly gift subscription my aunt Becky got me...the "year in review" issue, it turns out. Aside from some atrocious ads ("Twice as queer...two nights straight" advertising the new show Queer Eye for the Straight Girl), I think it's most notable for use of the term "peekaboob" in reference to the Super Bowl incident, which made me happy. "Peekaboob"...heh.
