Living Car Free - New movie: Contemporary cowboy is carfree

I haven't seen this movie, but I heard Leeann Hanson interview Edward Norton, star/co-writer of Down in the Valley, a contemporary western set in the car crazy San Fernando Valley. They played an audio clip that went something like this:


Worshipful girl: "You don't own a car? Why not?"

Cowboy hero: "Cars make people lazy."

Do you agree that cars make people lazy?

Has anybody seen this movie? How was it? Heres a brief review from the NY Times:


'DOWN IN THE VALLEY' (R, 114 minutes) This allegorical neo-Western set in the San Fernando Valley has dreams as big as the fantasies that consume its protagonist, a Stetson-wearing suburban cowboy (Edward Norton) who is not what he appears to be. How much you like it will depend on your appetite for the kind of cultural metaphors that David Jacobson flings onto the screen with a reckless abandon. (Holden)

Worshipful girl: "You don't own a car? Why not?"

Cowboy hero: "Cars make people lazy."

Do you agree that cars make people lazy?

I haven't seen the movie, or even heard of it 'til now. While I think that saying, "cars make people lazy" is simplistic, there is some truth to it. Anything that enables a sedate lifestyle promotes a sedate lifestyle. The human body get strained - very quickly - to be more or less active. Contrast this with health experts preaching the "active lifestyle." I don't think cars are particularly evil or problematic in the sense of promoting laziness on their own, but they are a big part of a society that promotes inactivity.

Do you agree that cars make people lazy?

I'd say one reason I don't own a car is that it would accommodate my pre-existing lazy, sedentary tendencies too well. I need to leave myself no choice but to exercise on a regular basis, because I certainly wouldn't do it as an end in itself.

I'd say one reason I don't own a car is that it would accommodate my pre-existing lazy, sedentary tendencies too well. I need to leave myself no choice but to exercise on a regular basis, because I certainly wouldn't do it as an end in itself.

What he said. Before we gave up the car, there were mornings (getting up late, feeling tired, minor aches) that we found it all too easy to skip the ride and drive instead. No excuses now; the only other option is the bus, and I hate taking the bus.

And every morning, rain or shine, after five minutes of pedaling I remember why we gave up the car in the first place. :D

Doesn't his character work at a gas station? And isn't that where she meets him?

What he said. Before we gave up the car, there were mornings (getting up late, feeling tired, minor aches) that we found it all too easy to skip the ride and drive instead. No excuses now; the only other option is the bus, and I hate taking the bus.

And every morning, rain or shine, after five minutes of pedaling I remember why we gave up the car in the first place. :D

No, what he said. I don't always want to get on the bike, but I seldom want to get off once the blood starts flowing.