Penn-alized, Again

Sean Penn self-righteously accuses filmmakers outside his group of aging Peter Pan clones of using their talents (presumably as well as they can) to create films that make people feel better about themselves, their future or to make them laugh--in short, to feel good. He calls them liars (“Don’t Get Him Started,” by Rachel Abramowitz, Jan. 6).

He accepts large sums of money for work he apparently regards as the best of a bad lot in order to maintain a lifestyle of the “compound north of San Francisco” level, I assume, because he wants himself and his family to feel good. This is integrity?

Just because he likes to complain about movies he doesn’t have the technical skills, strong enough story lines or depth of talent to make does not qualify as integrity, no matter how good he may be in the somewhat limited niche he occupies.

The filmmakers of the golden age were artistic adults who knew that true creativity must eventually produce some form of new life, and new life brings hope, and hope feels good.

Ultimately it comes down to the old joke “dying is easy, comedy is hard,” and underneath the multiple layers of rebellious filmmaker hyperbole, we all know it.

SANDY SMITH

Los Angeles