“Independence Day” is the reason why Bill Pullman is and will forever be my President. My friend Shelly and I talk about this speech every year. It’s such a great monologue…that is actually written, in part, by William Shakespeare. But he’s dead. He’s not using this speech anymore, and it’s brought us so much joy over the years. Also, before we get into the nostalgia, Lewis Pullman looks EXACTLY like his dad. If you have not seen him in “Thunderbolts/The New Avengers,” go do that immediately. Great performance by Pullman II, but this is the movie where you go, “I see where he gets it from.”
I think after 9/11, multiple school shootings, and a pandemic so catastrophic we often forget that year and the year we’re currently in nothing really scares the American people anymore. But and however, I like to believe that every year when we watch “Independence Day,” we have just a little fear. Do I want us to be like the people in the streets of New York in this film? No, but what would happen in the event of an alien invasion? What do we do? What are the safety protocols? This movie explores a bit of that.
The one thing I love about this movie is how much America is brought into this film. You may be saying, “Amber, this movie is mainly taking place in America. Duh, it would be mostly about America.” Here’s what I mean. The film starts by introducing a bunch of random people, and a President, to us from all walks of life all across the United States. In the end, somehow these random people all come together to save the world. Some of them get to know each other and some don’t, but they all worked towards a common goal not only for their city or state or even their country. They literally came together for the entire planet. Going back to COVID. (I know this was a dark time. I will only hold you there for a minute.) Think of all the stories of ordinary people helping one another, many of whom they didn’t know. Hundreds of scientists across the globe worked together to create a vaccine to help combat the virus. However you feel about the issue or the vaccine, you have to admit that it was pretty cool to see how everyone was able to put aside differences to accomplish one goal for billions of people they’d never met.
I feel like most people think of Will Smith as the star of this film, but I will make the argument that Will doesn’t shine without everyone else. Without Bill Pullman, Vivica A. Fox, Jeff Goldblum, Harry Connick, Jr., Randy Quaid, Smith is just there. He needs the orchestra of the cast to make him and Goldblum the heroes. Speaking of Goldblum, one, he’s real fine and always has been and still is, and two, I love that this film includes that you not only need brawn but strategy and brains. Without David, we wouldn’t know how the aliens were communicating and everyone in the Executive Office would still have thought Area 51 was a myth. Side note: That scientist is always funny to me and his death was part of that reason. It’s one of those things that isn’t supposed to be funny, but something is wrong with me and I know it.
Here’s another thing that this movie does well–the inclusion of the power of women. Sure, Jasmine, the First Lady, and Constance were the women of the men who would be the heroes, but the movie also showed you how tough these women were in their own right. Jasmine, although an exotic dancer, is a mom who will do anything and everything to protect her kid, and later, people she came across in her journey to…somewhere beyond the desert. The film makes sure that you know what her occupation is but it never allows you to rest in that. Even with Jimmy making his comments about her occupation holding Steve back from being promoted. The First Lady was a sacrifice. In the words of Lord Farquaad…
But and however, she didn’t just die. She gave her husband the strength to continue to do the work to save the world. She made sure he didn’t waste time mourning over her because they had lived a wonderful life together, and she understood what needed to be done without her in that world. Constance is the personification of trust. David is her ex-husband and she hates him. (Let’s be frank. I think she likes the dad, though.) In addition to her distaste for David, he also punched the President, so luck was not on his side when he decided to barge into the White House with his theory. To add more insult to injury, David’s current occupation and degree do not match. (He’s an MIT grad working for like Verizon.) Here’s where Constance comes into play. With all of this stacked against David, she still believes in his expertise and vouches for him with the President. So, I will take a previous statement I made even further. Without Constance (played by Margaret Colin), we don’t get the President taking action, we don’t get David at the helm with Steve, and we don’t get that epic ending with them racing out of the mothership. Constance, and his David’s dad who was one of my favorite people in this movie, believed in David’s theory enough to get him in front of the people who mattered to make something happen.
You know something else this movie does well? It turns a crazy man into an unsung hero. Russell is one of my favorite characters on screen for one reason and one reason only–that sacrifice at the end. They set him up so well to be the crazy, drunk man in the town so much so that his kids didn’t want anything to do with him. They loved him but would have rather not told people that they were related. (We won’t discuss them never really explaining these very melanated with this white man. It doesn’t matter but know I had questions, movie!) Steve and David disarming the mothership was one thing but there mission means nothing if Russell doesn’t blow up that main ship in the US. (or so movies wants you to think. I just don’t think too hard about it anymore.) If you think about this hard enough, it’s a less about always being who you are and always being honest with yourself. Russell never hid who he was from anyone. He didn’t care what you said about him. He was who he was and at the end of the day, he had a hand is saving America from aliens with no real motive.
Speaking of motive…the only, and I do mean only, downside to this movie, in my opinion, is the fact that the only motivation for the aliens was to kill everyone. That was it. Maybe it’s because I’ve seen way too many Marvel movies but I wanted there to be a stronger motivation than that. Make it so they kill all of us because they need a planet to survive on. Make it that our planet is blocking some random star or sun they need. Give me something, Smalls! The director had his own qualms with this film, but most of us who love this film, can’t imagine it any other way.
I adore this film and it is a must watch every single Independence Day! What about you? What do you remember most from this film? Harvey Firestein screaming David’s name, as only Harvey Firestein could, is one of my favorite scenes in cinema. Tell me yours!
