This movie plot sounds like something you’d find over at Query Letters I Love, except it’s actually been made. For 80 million dollars.
The Interpreter
Nicole Kidman stars as African-born U.N. interpreter Silvia Broome, who inadvertently overhears a death threat against an African head of state scheduled to address the United Nation’s General Assembly. Realizing she’s become a target of the assassins as well, Silvia’s desperate to thwart the plot… if only she can survive long enough to get someone to believe her.
Oh no! An African head of state’s life is threatened! The world has truly gone mad! No wonder no-one will believe her.
Our Nicole: Ossifer! Someone wants to kill an African head of state!
Guy in uniform: Pffft! Who’d want to do something like that? Africa is so politically stable.
Our Nicole: Exactly! Don’t you see? The killing of an African leader will have serious repercussions around the world, too horrible to contemplate!
Guy in uniform: My god, you’re right. We came so close to the brink of armageddon back when Ibrahim Bare Mainassara bought it.
Another guy: Not to mention Muhammad Boudiaf.
Guy in uniform: Or Cyprien Ntaryamira. Wall Street’s still got the jitters over that one.
Another guy: And Juvenal Habriarimana.
Guy in uniform: Then there was Melchior Ndadaye.
Another guy: Laurent Kabila.
Guy in uniform: Well, duh! How far back have we gone now?
Another guy: About ten years. Wait a minute, where’s Africa exactly?
Our Nicole: You don’t understand. This has special relevance for me, because I am also African.
Guy in uniform: You’re African?
Our Nicole: Well, African-born. I won’t confuse you by specifying a country.
Guy in uniform: So that’s why you’re talking with a weird accent that comes and goes at random.
Another guy: Now you got a cushy job in New York. Counsellor Troi is sensing White Guilt, here.
Guy in uniform: Enough with the frickin’ Counsellor Troi jokes, already.
Our Nicole: Anyway, he is African like me, and all countries on our continent are the bestest of friends. Besides, the people of his country will be devestated if their benevolent, competent, democratically-elected leader cannot serve out his full, corruption-free term in office before promptly calling a free and fairly-contested general election.
Guy in uniform: What country are we talking about?
Our Nicole: Monkeysflyoutmybuttania. Now are you gonna help me or do I have to call in Bob Geldof?
Guy in uniform: Alright, alright! We’ll help you stop this assassination plot you overheard.
Our Nicole: Well, it wasn’t so much of a plot, as such. It was more like a threat.
Gut in uniform: A threat?
Our Nicole: Yeah, this guy was all like, “I’ll kill that bastard, he’s eaten the last Tim-Tam!”
Guy in uniform: Never mind, we won’t let him get killed. Not until he’s safely on his home soil.
Another guy: Unless they just blow his plane out of the sky on his way back.
Guy in uniform: Welps, this calls for action. Who’s for donuts?
All: Mmmmmmmm, donuts…..
(Enter Monkeysflyoutmybuttanian ambassador)
!!! SPOILER ALERT !!!
Ambassador: I am authorised to say that my President has never heard of Johnny Farnham.
yeah, she desperately needs some emergency sex
well, actually, I need it more than she does.
but anythign to get her to go away.
Are you volunteering to help her out, Mallrat? That's very generous of you. If she lies there immobile and expressionless, that's probably her idea of faking it.
Judging from the review in The Age, it seems that Our Nicole's accent is as wonky as predicted, but the African leader in question is realistically despicable. So who gives a shit what happens to him? These days I find it hard enough to care when TV bad guys want to kill the US president, so do they expect us to get all moist when she saves General Aideed's arse?
Mallrat – thanks for that link – I am so impressed that Heidi's partner could perform after being shot at -stiff with fright maybe?
re bloody Nicole – at http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/ Why I Hat Nicole Kidman we have been slagging her to pieces since January and there are some insider stories from people who have had to cope with her professionally.
Like this encounter with Our Nicole:
"an ice maiden who offered a wet fish handshake and ignored my crew."
Please stop talking about emergency sex on my blog: I am currently suffering in bureaucratic purgatory, so that my next root is dependent on getting some red tape cleared through an office in Canberra. I never imagined I'd ever have to say that.