Of Mice and Men - On-Screen Literature

my rating:

I've probably read more classic works of literature than average, but I'll admit to never reading John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men. Fortunately for me, Gary Sinise did. If the book is as good as the movie he directed and starred in (with no small contribution from John Malkovich) - and of course it's probably even better - then it's a powerful piece of literature.

The story is about George and Lenny, two drifters trying to get by and maybe someday fulfill a dream of having a small homestead of their own in rural Depression-era America. Their life is made difficult by the times in which they live, of course, but it's made worse by Lenny's mental disability. He has "the strength of a bull" as his companion - and caretaker - George puts it, but an intellect like that of a small child. George promised Lenny's dying aunt he'd look after him, and so he endures the burden of keeping him out of trouble and seeing to his basic needs, and gets unquestioning friendship in return. The movie chronicles a pivotal stop in their journey together, working on a farm where the boss' belligerent son and the son's flirtatious wife spell trouble for the inseparable George and Lenny.

Malkovich clearly had a challenging role in the film, and despite the inexplicable lack of an Oscar nomination, he pulls it off wonderfully. Although I don't know anyone quite like Lenny, I've know enough mentally challenged people to be a good critic of attempts by others to mimic them, and Malkovich captures the befuddled good-naturedness of a retarded man expertly. In some ways, Sinise's challenge was greater, having no obvious "schtick" to play for George, and thus having to make George's loyalty to this albatross he's willingly accepted seem believable. Sinise succeeds, and his dilemma in trying to figure out how to get them both out of Lenny's latest - and most profound - accidental mess feels genuine.

The story itself is very powerful and well crafted, and I assume Steinbeck deserves most of the credit for that. Like any good literature-class-worthy tale, it has recurring motifs, subtle foreshadowing, themes explored from various angles, and small bits of irony (e.g. the gentle giant's last name is "Small") that provide the mind with plenty to chew on. I don't want to spoil the ending, but it's surprising... while making perfect sense if you've been paying attention. My only complaint is with the character of the wife, who manages to be neither sympathetic nor contemptible (or maybe a little of both), as if she were scripted in different scenes by two different people.

My neighborhood movie house is doing a series of Steinbeck-based films this month, which should help alleviate my lack of exposure to his work in my own high school lit. classes. Time permitting, I'll be seeing Cannery Row and Grapes of Wrath (East of Eden was cancelled due to availability issues) in the next couple weeks.