Educational Media Reviews Online

Well, what could be more daunting to a reviewer than to try to characterize a 25 minute video "interview" with Douglas Coupland, the "I'm so nerdy I'm hip" originator of the term "Generation X," in 400 words or less, especially if the reviewer is an unabashed fan of this witty, and often incisive, artisan of words? Okay, lots of things I suppose, but it is true that this video, which appears to be a rehearsed spontaneous interview, is hard to characterize. It is like junk food, momentarily pleasing and fulfilling, but ultimately rather empty. The incredibly contrived setting intersperses iconic representations, quick flashes of clips from both home movies and World's Fair or EPCOT educational offerings from decades ago, and people strolling about - in a seemingly random fashion - in front of Coupland as he is being "interviewed" with incredibly vapid questions such as "Do you consider yourself a citizen of the late twentieth century?"

As with his written work, while the large themes (e.g., the increasing disconnections within the mind-body-soul continuum in modern life) and the small tidbits (as in his realization that his one time fantasy of awakening from a year-long coma and being able to ingest the year's worth of news and popular culture in a long gulp of reading has become a daily nightmare in the age of information overload) are well-crafted and, many times, memorable and thought provoking, the middle range glue that should connect them is often absent.

With production values that are excellent (taken in a retro-hip sort of context) this video is highly recommended for enthusiasts of Coupland and Gen-X culture in general. Those who are unfamiliar with Coupland's work and style will not get a coherent introduction to his concerns and likey will wonder what all the fuss is about.