Monday
Jan042016
The Greatest Pick Up Line in Movie History
Monday, January 4, 2016 at 11:25AM 
Mic drop. No really.
Imagine you're Therese. It's 1952, you look like Rooney Mara, you're wearing a Santa hat, you're hawking a pile of terrifying looking but also freakishly gender-normative dolls, there's a sign behind you that says "Mommy's Baby," and you've got the span of one sale to signal your romantic viability to customer and apparent goddess Carol.
What's your move? Coquettishly mention that her daughter's chosen doll, Bright Betsy, has a capacity for secretion? No? And that's why Cate Blanchett's not your girlfriend.
tagged Carol, Cate Blanchett, LGBT, Rooney Mara, dolls
Carol, Cate Blanchett, LGBT, Rooney Mara, dolls
Reader Comments (18)
Teo darling, get your bodily processes correct...it's excretion, not secretion! Kisses!
@Stritch: But if he's referring to the vagina becoming moist with desire, then it would be secretions!
"Moist With Desire: a Todd Haynes joint "
This gif made me blush so hard, I no longer have capillaries.
Rooney had a few very funny lines in the movie. I loved when they decide on the presidential suite (for a "very attractive rate") and Therese says, "Well, if the rate is attractive."
Stritch, Tyler — Lol I take your point. But excretions is a little too scatalogical to get to the "yes, but how moist is it?" weirdness of this interaction. Secretions made me laugh, and also seemed accurate to the material nature of Bright Betsy, the Christmas must have doll that emits moisture.
I like the hat.
Do tell: has anyone mentioned/written on the fact that Therese has the same haircut as Carol's daughter? Makes that (previously unnoticed by me until you pointed it out) "Mommy's Baby" sign seem especially...noteworthy...
catbaskets -- ewww. but now that you mention it...
Yeah, the first shot of Rindy made me do a double take. She and Therese look *the same.*
So...a bit weird.
@catbaskets I didn't mention that in my Carol review because I didn't want to taint the film for potential viewers. I saw Carol as predatory lesbian at Christmastime rather than a pure, sweet romance. There's so much supporting Carol replacing Rindy with Therese--the extravagant presents, the over the top reaction to Therese's childhood photo, Therese looking like a grown up Rindy. It's squicky and actually raises my respect for the film. Haynes wasn't afraid to go there and it adds a whole lot of depth and complexity to a very high-buttoned and old fashioned Hollywood romance.
"I love you." - Nick Davis. And Carol Aird. And Cheryl Strayed.
I am fairly certain that 'she cries and wets herself' will be an adequate description of me seeing this film for the first time next week.
Yeah, just gonna chime in that during the whole movie I saw a weird predatory lesbian romance...lol. I'm forgetting my examples right now, but I totally saw Rooney as Cate's "baby girl" I guess.
I saw the predatory lesbian part of it and I loved it. I watched the movie with a lesbian couple friends or couple of lesbian friends or .... argh two women married to each other who are also my friends. Anyways they nearly killed the movie for me by complaining after it was over about the whole predatory lesbian aspect. They said they were sick of lesbians being portrayed in such a manner. It didn't bother me one bit though. I do think of Carol as a bit predatory but that's part of that character. She s a wealthy gorgeous goddess who falls for a young innocent shop girl. Her predatory nature is a big part of why Therese is attracted to her I think. I don't see why she has to a spokesperson for all lesbians everywhere. Anyways, the next day both my friends texted me separately that they can't stop thinking about the movie and they want to see it again.
The predatory element was well handled, I thought. Therese definitely started reciprocating almost immediately; she just didn't know that it was an option. Who stared at who first in the toy department? A lot of the major developments in the relationship relied on Therese taking the lead. Carol pursued and opened up this world to her, but Therese more than played along.
"It's going very well, actually." (Stares meaningfully at object of desire before returning to play seductive song on piano.) -- Therese "Subtle Game" Belivet
I just saw it and am only reading these comments now...and I think that Robert G is absolutely right in his reading of the film, both the "predatory" and "mommy/baby" aspects -- and I also agree the film turns it around, as Therese is also a willing participant in this once the shock of realizing the nature of her own desire wears off a bit (the shock is much of the fun....), and Carol herself is aware of the dynamics but is helpless to help herself turn away from them.