Against All Odds: I’m Rich

Well, that depends. Because whether or not I am is relative to what metric you’re using. In other words, compared to who, what, and when. AGAINST ALL ODDS is also an often used and popular trope in books and movies. Moreover, one of my favorites. Because I’m delusional?

That sounds like a shrink question. Let’s get into it.

The Hollywood writers’ and actors’ strike

is ongoing. What do they want? More money. As do I. As does everyone. How do I know this? My Psych-girl said so. Furthermore, she’s super smart and rich. Compared to me. Or is she?

Set that aside.

A few years ago she gave me a homework assignment. She suggested I dig into my insecurities. I came back with a list the foremost of which was “economic insecurity”. Without missing a beat she interrupted and said: “There’s never enough.” (Money). Imagine that.

The Taproot

of all grievances is perceived unfairness. Said another way – comparison. Or relative to an other. Is this uniquely human? I don’t know. Nevertheless, the writers’ ( 14,000) of scripts for Hollywood said (I’m paraphrasing), “We’ve had enough.We want more money. You (studios/bosses) make millions and we are barely surviving.”

Then the actors (160,000) joined in. “Yeah,” they said. “Pay the grunts more.” The BOSS came back with, “Frankly, I don’t give a damn. I don’t care. You are replaceable.”

My Take

is, I don’t care, either. Because I can’t watch/consume all the content created over the last 100 years of books and movies. In fact, of all art. My take is: Everybody at the top, no matter the profession, makes too much money. However, the Bosses are probably right. Everyone is replaceable. Maybe not to you, but in the larger, big picture.

How about athletes? Are they overpaid? My take: Absolutely. Nevertheless the stadiums are packed and the prices keep going up.

As long as you win. Live sports is the only thing people can be counted on to watch at any given time.

Who decides? Is the ultimate question. Or is it?

My List 

of movies (incomplete) worth watching with the trope of AGAINST ALL ODDS. Some are fiction, others are interpretations of true events. In fiction the hero triumphs AGAINST ALL ODDS. In non-fiction,  the hero does not.

Lately I’ve been watching a lot of “free” movies at home. I haven’t been to the theater since before the pandemic. Furthermore, I piggy-back on my son’s streaming services. I pay him instead of the corporations.

Because I’m not a very good consumer, may be a major reason why I’m rich. The details of whether or not I’m part of the problem is beyond me. Another shrink question. The problem being why some people are rich and most are not.

Fiction;

1. The Outsider (2002). Western romance. Maybe my favorite. Forbidden love.

   

   Black Knight. Rescue. Redemption. Great setting (Montana). Great music. This one has it all.

2. Concrete Canyons (2010). Small town western sheriff goes to Chicago to rescue his estranged son.
3. Last Chance Cafe (2006). Enemies to lovers. White Knight.
4. Three Days of the Condor (1975). Amazing! A CIA analyst, a human Chat GPT, has to run for his life after he uncovers corruption at the highest levels.
5. Mystery Road (2013). Modern day Australian Outback small town sheriff.
6. Willed to Kill (2013). This time the hero is a female FBI agent.
7. Black Rain (1989). Another amazing older movie that asks questions relevant to today. Does Nuclear fallout from WWII linger to this day in Japan? Enemies to lovers.
8. Vanilla Sky (2001). Tom Cruise and time travel.
9. Killers (2010) Action comedy. Romance. Thriller. With Tom Selleck in a strong supporting role.
10. Ticket to Paradise (2023). Generational Romance. Julia Roberts and George Clooney. A-listers. You know, those folks at the top that make too much money.
11. The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008). Jennifer Connelly and Keanu Reeves come together to save the earth. Not exactly enemies to lovers, but close.
12. The Pelican Brief (1993). Julia Roberts again. A thriller. Again, has implications in today’s world of greed and corruption in high places.
13. Romancing the Stone (1984). Enemies to lovers. Romantic adventure in the jungle. Right up my ally.
14. Braven (2018). Modern wilderness thriller.

Is my life a fiction? Still another shrink question?

Non-Fiction:

Or, based on real events. These Against All Odds stories don’t turn out well.

1. Elvis (2022). You know how this one ends. Elvis, an orphan, jump starts Rock n Roll, becomes rich and famous and OD’s.
2. The Big Short (2015). This is the story of the housing market crash of 2008. One journalist outfit saw this coming, predicted it; but no one would listen. A few got rich, most got crushed.
3. The Green Zone (2010). Story of the hunt for WMD in Iraq. One soldier knew early on it was a lie. No one in high places would believe him.
4. Shock and Awe (2018). Another story about the Iraq war’s lies and who won and who lost.
5. The Insider (1999). The story of Big Tobacco’s lie and how it ruined the life of one scientist who told the truth.

In Conclusion.

Against all odds is an ubiquitous trope. Probably the most popular throughout history. Because it provides us hope that we can triumph. Also, it can be used with many sub-plots, genres, characters, and settings. However, in the real world, it rarely ends well. But, it still makes for great entertainment.

Some of the movies I’ve listed were blockbusters – making some people a lot of money. Those people then spend that money, providing work, jobs, and entertainment. And life rolls on.

What do you think? Do some people make too much money? Do you have an entertainment budget? How much is enough?