The Flick -- by Annie Baker (2014)

Description

The creative team for The Flick must have jumped for joy when they read Annie Baker's nuanced script. The play is set in the summer of 2012 at a crumbling movie theater in Massachusetts. The audience faces an empty movie theater and gazes upon the projection booth which hovers above the seats. The cast includes only five characters: Sam, a 35-year old white man who has worked at "The Flick" for decades; Rose, a 24-year old projection-runner with forest green hair; Avery, a 20-year old African-American new worker at "The Flick" who has an affinity for film and yearning for authenticity; The Dreaming Man, who literally just sleeps at the beginning of one scene; and Skylar, a fast-paced new hire after renovations.

Initially, the plot seems nonexistent or simply boring. The relationships between Avery, Rose, and Sam slowly develop into a tense triangle. These relationships reveal personal struggles and quirks. Their bonds are built upon hilarious interactions, mundane tasks, and painful confessions. Much akin to Between Riverside and Crazy, the dialogue is realistic to in regards to the inclusion of stammering, overlapping conversation, and silence. Annie Baker weaves several plots masterfully, with the main plot being the turn of the theater from a film-based theater to a digital-based theater. The three main characters have different perspectives on the sacredness, if you will, of the movie theater--and this eventually leads to their ultimate split.

Throughout the play, Baker touches on themes such as authenticity, compassion, thoughtfulness, and community. While the first act unveils individual struggles, the second act highlights the need for human empathy. From scene two of Act Two through the ending, Baker solidifies to the skeptic audience member that she has been carefully crafting the dialogue to develop theme in a profound fashion.

Candid Reactions

• The creative team must have loved working on this play!
• Did they use real lettuce? The props would be so difficult to keep up with (setting in between scenes)
• Baker subtly condemns people's selfish nature hysterically by writing, "Who brings pudding into a movie theater?" (18)
• The placement of passion appears to be of importance: What are these people passionate about and why?
• Interesting how Baker touches upon racial stereotyping, but doesn't necessarily harp on it. I wonder how much she considered how she wanted to address this topic--why did she land where she did?
• Sam admitting he wants to be a chef is heartbreaking. A simple, few-word interaction left me sad. (42)
• I'm not sure if the dream interpretation scene was a cop-out in character development? 
• Hearing Avery talk about his acceptance of being "that weird depressed guy" unleashes some important conversations about vulnerability, authenticity, and empathy. 
• When Avery opens up about his depression, he offers: 
• And the answer to every terrible solution seems to be like, Be Yourself, but I have no idea what that f****** means. Who's Myself? Apparently there's some like amazing awesome person deep down inside of me or something? I have no idea who that guy is. I'm always faking it. And it looks to me like everyone else is faking it too. (99-100)

Avery's commentary is sad, but reveals a human experience. Every person wants to self-actualize and be the best version of themselves (at least, I believe so). The fear of not achieving that, or achieving it and feeling like a fraud, terrifies Avery--the audience is asked to be introspective. Is the audience a bunch of "fakers" like Avery thinks? It is also worth thinking about the role of actors--they are "faking" real experiences . . . I'm sure the actors had a field day with this script!

•  Sam's recollection of his dream makes sense to me in why he was scared. 
• Instead of a slushy to the face, popcorn to the face seems just as dramatic in this scenario. 
• Sam finally understands that their is a difference between the way something "seems" and the way something "is" (129). Baker develops theme masterfully here. 
• Act 2 Scene 3 of The Flick is a must-read. The underlying commentary on human connection in the media age is moving. 
• Avery's description of film vs. digital parallels Sam's notion of seeming vs. being. Great writing!
• They all faked out their boss, but he found out reality and consequences are given. Here, again, Baker develops theme and builds upon previous conversations about reality. 
• Avery's breakdown of the analogy gives a ton of food for discussion. I don't know where to begin. 
• A simple gesture of Skylar touching the screen seems monumental. Baker allows action to speak as loud as dialogue. 
• Avery's point of view on life is realistic or depressing?
• The final interaction between Sam and Avery is heartwarming-- a sort of comedic catharsis. 

Top Two Aspects/Reasons for Winning

1. Theme Development

I am not going to expound on this because I've already addressed the theme development in the previous section. Not only are the themes masterfully paced and grown, but the themes are universal to the human experience. Annie Baker uses a common setting and menial job as a jumping off point for a deep examination of the human's yearnings and struggles.

2. Realism

The show discusses realism and embraces realism in its delivery. It is almost like a mish-mash of Our Town and Sunday in the Park with George.

Classroom Implications

The language is pretty offensive throughout the text, and the end of Act One is definitely uncomfortable. I would stray from using it at the high school, although I think AP students would enjoy it if they came across it.

If anything, I would choose scenes to discuss theme development or to do a close-reading.

Personal Takeaway

Theme development can be exhilarating!

Ranking

	Dialogue	Characters	Plot/Conflict	Symbol/Literary Devices	Overall Enjoyment	TOTAL SCORE 9.0
0	Unfollowable; unrealistic; diction does not match character	Undeveloped; does not reflect humanity	Not engaging; predictable; reader can step away from text because it isn’t gripping	Devices are apparent for cleverness and do not enhance the story	Reader has no interest in re-reading play
1	Not consistently realistic	Well-developed; most depictions reflect humanity	Semi-engaging; some unnecessary plot-points	Devices somewhat enhance story (1.5)	Reader would re-read with pleasure and reminded of work
2	Realistic; connotative; diction matches characters (2)	Fully-developed; depictions reflect humanity (1.75)	Engaging; unique; reader finds it impossible to put down text because the conflict is so gripping! (1.75)	Devices seamlessly enhance the story and provide rich interpretation	Reader would re-read the play on own volition, enthusiastically (2)