I was a great consumer of media yesterday. I went to see “District 9″ at the movies and then I went home to watch the eagerly-anticipated season premier of “Mad Men.” On the surface, it would seem that a movie about aliens in South Africa and a television show about the early 60′s advertising industry in New York have little in common. But that’s not going to stop me from trying to compare the two.
Background: District 9: Aliens arrive on earth, and instead of bringing peace, war, or Reese’s pieces, they turn out to be bad house guests that look like 6-foot-tall uncooked shrimp cocktail, and in turn become victims of a bureaucracy, that relegates them to the slums of Johannesburg. The government agency in charge of the district decides to evict the aliens, chaos ensues.
Mad Men: Advertising men (and woman) convince housewives they need Popsicles, raincoats, and relax-a-cizors, while looking dapper in their suits with thin ties and dresses with thin waists. They don’t seem to suspect the cultural revolution waiting in the wings, we keep watching to see how chaos will ensue.
Characters: District 9: A nebbishy government man who only gets hotter as he starts to grow alien parts, his wife who is way out of his league but stands by him until she doesn’t, an alien dad who’s given the classic slave name “Chris Johnson,” and his adorable son who looks like the spawn of E.T. and the thing that came out of John Hurt’s stomach in Alien.
Mad Men: Don Draper, a 100% suave ad man who only gets hotter as he finds new ways to cheat on his wife, his wife, Betty, who is way to perfect to be in anyone’s league (by 1950′s housewife standards, anyway), Pete Campbell, who is a slave to his emotions, and his wife Trudy, who wore a hat in last night’s episode that made her seem like an alien from the movie Coneheads.
Illicit sex: District 9: In an early scene, we learn that prostitution runs wild in the alien slums, which leads the audience to wonder, “how, technically, does intergalactic sex between a woman and a huge crustacean work?” Later in the movie, a character is disgraced by accusations of alien sex, leading people in the fictional world to ask, “seriously, how can a dude have sex with a freaking crustacean?”
Mad Men: Going on a business trip is an excuse to have sex with someone who is not your wife, and the men count on the fact that the women never wonder, “seriously, what do you do on those business trips?” In last night’s episode, we came really close to a scene featuring (gasp!) gay sex, which leads us to wonder, “did anyone in the repressive 1960′s even know how that worked?
Fashion: District 9: The aliens had undefined private parts, meaning some wore rags and others wore nothing at all. Call me racist, but all the aliens looked alike to me, so the only way I could tell the difference between alien characters was by the rags they wore.
Mad Men: As I type this, I’m wearing a poofy pleated skirt that sits at my waist with my shirt tucked in to show off my well-fed curves. To keep myself out of trouble, I had to put my credit card on ice when I learned Banana Republic was featuring a (full-priced) Mad Men themed line. You might have noticed there’s actually no direct comparison between the movie and the TV show. I just wanted to take this opportunity to mention how much I really, really like the modern retro fashions.
Moral of the story: District 9: Limit your exposure.
Mad Men: Limit your exposure.
nancypearlwannabe said,
August 17, 2009 at 1:56 pm
I haven’t seen District 9, but I can tell you I will be spending a whole bunch of dollars at the BR when the Mad Men line launches. Wait, is it already out? I need to get spending!
vigorousanonymity said,
August 17, 2009 at 2:05 pm
And I’ve been wanting to see District 9 but now I can’t tell if this is an endorsement or a warning.
Aaron said,
August 17, 2009 at 6:32 pm
Sometimes I wish Banana Republic would just leave me alone and stop doing everything in its power to steal my money. But their clothes just fit me oh so right.
Hey: Belated Welcome Back and all. It appears I’m riding your coattails, but it’s one of those situations where imitation and flattery mingle, I think
courtney said,
August 18, 2009 at 1:59 pm
When I watch Mad Men, I do so in a semi-coma induced by Don Draper’s suavitude. I suspect the same will not be true when I see District 9. Oh, and I love the modern retro fashion as well.
Also, I think this is the first post I’ve ever read that contained the word “nebbishy.” Well done.
Anika said,
August 18, 2009 at 4:14 pm
I’ve never seen Mad Men, but am so excited about Banana’s Mad Men line…I seriously want it all. Love the comparison!
Allie said,
August 21, 2009 at 4:39 pm
I had to leave District 9 b/c it made me motion sick. But I am dying to see Mad Men. Season 1 is on the Netflix list, if we can ever manage to finish Twin Peaks.