Within the “Household Man” episode “Untitled Griffin Household Historical past” (Might 14, 2006), the Griffins discover that burglars have damaged into their basement. In a panic, they flee to their house’s beforehand unseen panic room, a room that Peter (Seth MacFarlane) had been establishing in secret. After locking themselves inside, the Griffins discover there is not any phone, nor any possible way of escaping. Peter, making an attempt to maintain the temper jovial, decides to inform the historical past of his household, going again to the start of time. The majority of the episode consists of jokey asides and flashbacks, as a result of it is “Household Man.”
Close to the tip of the episode, Peter, lastly bored with being trapped, fires a flare gun into the panic room’s air vent. This triggers the room’s automated sprinkler system, and the hermetic closet begins to fill with water. Earlier than lengthy, the Griffins are all floating, dealing with a possible watery doom. As they’re about to drown, Peter needs to make a ultimate confession: He didn’t look after “The Godfather.” Though they’re drowning, Lois (Alex Borstein) expresses outrage at his style.
Francis Ford Coppola’s 1972 traditional, to the remainder of the Griffins, is peerless. Brian (MacFarlane) asks why, and Peter says he could not get into it. “It insists upon itself,” he presents, wholly unhelpfully. Chris (Seth Inexperienced) says that it has a degree to make, so it is okay to be “insistent.” Peter then confesses that he is by no means even completed it, not realizing the way it ends. The Griffins are absolutely drowning, however they spend what may be their ultimate moments having a snippy, pusillanimous dialog about “The Godfather.”
It seems that second truly has origins that date again to Seth MacFarlane’s time in school.
The phrase ‘It insists on itself’ got here from one in every of Seth MacFarlane’s movie professors in school
Plainly the road “It insists upon itself” was a criticism that MacFarlane as soon as heard from one in every of his school professors. As he revealed in a current publish on Twitter/X, a movie trainer used the phrase to explain “The Sound of Music.” MacFarlane himself admitted that he wasn’t fairly positive what it meant. MacFarlane posted:
“Since this has been trending, this is a enjoyable reality: ‘It insists upon itself’ was a criticism my school movie historical past professor used to elucidate why he did not suppose ‘The Sound of Music’ was an awesome movie. First-rate trainer, however I by no means fairly adopted that one.”
The joke of the scene — past having a frivolous dialogue in a second of mortal peril — is that Peter is clearly making an attempt to sound astute and erudite, realizing that his confession about “The Godfather” would get an increase out of his household. He stays smug, nonetheless, saying that the movie “insists upon itself,” feeling that the phrase is a brand new mental axiom that can encourage others to stroke their chins thoughtfully and quietly agree.
One can type of glean what MacFarlane’s professor might need been getting at. Some movies, it appears, current their story beats and their characters with a sure diploma of portent, utilizing slower modifying, closeups, or highfalutin scripting to make sure the viewers know they’re necessary to the movie. Sure viewers might key into when a filmmaker is asserting one thing or somebody as necessary, however then reject the announcement, particularly when a viewer might not be connecting with the movie in query.
We’d see a extra synthetic model of this phenomenon in nostalgia items like “Spider-Man: No Approach Dwelling.” That movie comprises lengthy pauses after the introductions of sure legacy characters, clearly included to permit the (presumably astonished) viewers to applause or gasp in a dramatic vogue. In case you do not care about these legacy characters, although, then the meant astonishment at seeming them might really feel presumptuous on the filmmakers’ half. It is being insistent.
What the heck does ‘It insists upon itself’ imply?
To extrapolate, then, if a movie is hefty and dramatic and downbeat, like “The Godfather,” a viewer like Peter might even see each single second as dripping with “significance.” However as a result of Peter did not join with “The Godfather” (for no matter purpose), the entire movie learn, to his eyes, as phony. It isn’t organically successful him over, however as a substitute it is insisting that he settle for its conceits. It insists upon itself.
After all, one will one really feel {that a} movie “insists upon itself” if they are not having fun with it. One thing else might need been driving Peter away from “The Godfather” — a personality he disliked, a efficiency he hated, a central conceit he morally objected to — main him to reject every little thing else in regards to the film’s story. He checked out early on, and the movie’s continued virtuosity of character and storytelling felt like pathetic methods to win him again.
Some responses on Twitter/X (transcribed by Yahoo!) additionally theorize what MacFarlane’s professor might need meant along with his criticism of “The Sound of Music.” One reader discovered that Peter Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” introduced itself as “necessary” (learn: artificially dramatic), they usually discovered it alienating because of this.
One other reader felt that sure filmmakers look like self-aware, in a unfavorable manner, once they helm hefty dramas. They’re, by this critic’s evaluation, making what’s meant to be a traditional for the ages. Thus, its efforts to seem conventionally “nice” start to odor like cliché. “There are numerous methods you could attempt to be good with out making an attempt to be good,” they elucidate, “particularly bucking traits. Insisting upon itself means it hit all of the notes a ‘good’ film ‘ought to.'”
Know that nobody has to like a popularly nice film. It is high quality to hate “The Godfather” for those who hate “The Godfather.” Ditto “The Sound of Music” and its wake of flops. However to be an efficient critic, one should be extra succinct of their reasoning. One cannot depend on a meaningless aphorism like, “It insists upon itself.”