Fat Kid Rules the World vs. Sherlock
May. 6th, 2013 08:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowfireflameJust finished watching the movie adaptation of Fat Kid Rules the World, based on the novel by K.L. Going that I read in high school. I remember it as being possibly the funniest book I’d ever read, featuring refreshingly taboo topics and very loveable characters. Seriously, I remember I was sitting outside in the car with the windows rolled down reading this book while my parents ran some errand, and I was laughing so hard that someone actually came up to the window to ask if I was okay because it sounded like I was hyperventilating.
The book features a high-school-aged main character, Troy Billings, who is depressed to the point of suicide and obese. He is rescued from a suicide attempt by Curt McCrae, a high-school dropout and druggie who has troubles at home. Curt decides that Troy will become the drummer for his new band, Rage/Techtonic, and in this manner they both find ways to save each other.
It’s not until watching the movie adaptation that I realized how many similarities the initial situation and characters have with BBC’s Sherlock adaptation. Though the comparison isn’t perfect, I see Troy as being similar to John Watson and Curt as being similar to Sherlock Holmes.
For both Troy and John, their lives at the beginning are grey, depressing wastelands where it seems like nothing will happen and nothing will change. They seem locked into cycles of meaninglessness and feeling cut off from the rest of society and from the people they used to be. For Troy, it’s his depression and weight gain after overeating as a coping mechanism following his mother’s death; for John, it’s his depression after being invalided from Afghanistan following his injuries. Definitely “nothing happens to me [anymore]” sorts of situations. It’s so bad for Troy that he actually attempts suicide. For John, there’s a scene where he looks at his gun in its drawer that is arguably portraying him considering suicide.
And then, at their lowest points, there appear Curt and Sherlock, seemingly out of nowhere, each one a fascinating character with a very busy job that consumes and dictates his entire life. Curt is obsessed with punk rock; Sherlock, with solving crimes; and they each are at a point where they could use an assistant. I also think they look at Troy and at John, possibly even subconsciously, as little projects they can try to fix. I think Sherlock is definitely intrigued by John’s psychosomatic limp and bets he can fix it with a little effort, and Curt sees Troy as someone who could use a friend while simultaneously helping Curt have a place to crash occasionally. The point is that Curt and Sherlock both see something of value in Troy and John that no one else had, and they decide to step in and give them a purpose in life. In both stories, Troy/Curtis and John/Sherlock end up becoming best friends and living together. (It’s interesting to me that both Troy and John are preoccupied with the opposite sex, but their deepest relationships remain with other guys.)
Then there are the character similarities between Curt and Sherlock. Both have major self-destructive tendencies. Both eat and sleep very little, though Sherlock chooses to do this to himself and Curt doesn’t seem to have much of a choice. Sherlock routinely risks his life to prove he’s clever and uses too many nicotine patches. He’s also a recovering drug addict; Curt is a current one, addicted to a random assortment of stolen prescription painkillers. Because of this, there are tons of opportunities for hurt/comfort elements in both the stories. (There’s also cute similarities in the way they ask to borrow other people’s cellphones and the way they disregard laws and social conventions.)
Also, Troy’s dad, Mr. Billings, is a security officer and fulfills a similar role to DI Lestrade in Sherlock.
Anyway, there’s something about this dynamic in both stories that I love. They’re connected by near-death experiences from the start of their relationship, end up closer than best friends (more like brothers or even lovers, if you prefer), and really complete each other and need each other. If anybody knows other relationships like this in books or TV or movies, please feel free to drop me a line. I love it. :)
The movie is on Netflix at the moment, and Curt’s name is changed to Marcus for some reason (probably too close to Kurt Cobain, the character he’s probably based on), which confused me at first. But it’s very entertaining, if not nearly as funny as the book it was based on, so check it out if you’re interested!
The book features a high-school-aged main character, Troy Billings, who is depressed to the point of suicide and obese. He is rescued from a suicide attempt by Curt McCrae, a high-school dropout and druggie who has troubles at home. Curt decides that Troy will become the drummer for his new band, Rage/Techtonic, and in this manner they both find ways to save each other.
It’s not until watching the movie adaptation that I realized how many similarities the initial situation and characters have with BBC’s Sherlock adaptation. Though the comparison isn’t perfect, I see Troy as being similar to John Watson and Curt as being similar to Sherlock Holmes.
For both Troy and John, their lives at the beginning are grey, depressing wastelands where it seems like nothing will happen and nothing will change. They seem locked into cycles of meaninglessness and feeling cut off from the rest of society and from the people they used to be. For Troy, it’s his depression and weight gain after overeating as a coping mechanism following his mother’s death; for John, it’s his depression after being invalided from Afghanistan following his injuries. Definitely “nothing happens to me [anymore]” sorts of situations. It’s so bad for Troy that he actually attempts suicide. For John, there’s a scene where he looks at his gun in its drawer that is arguably portraying him considering suicide.
And then, at their lowest points, there appear Curt and Sherlock, seemingly out of nowhere, each one a fascinating character with a very busy job that consumes and dictates his entire life. Curt is obsessed with punk rock; Sherlock, with solving crimes; and they each are at a point where they could use an assistant. I also think they look at Troy and at John, possibly even subconsciously, as little projects they can try to fix. I think Sherlock is definitely intrigued by John’s psychosomatic limp and bets he can fix it with a little effort, and Curt sees Troy as someone who could use a friend while simultaneously helping Curt have a place to crash occasionally. The point is that Curt and Sherlock both see something of value in Troy and John that no one else had, and they decide to step in and give them a purpose in life. In both stories, Troy/Curtis and John/Sherlock end up becoming best friends and living together. (It’s interesting to me that both Troy and John are preoccupied with the opposite sex, but their deepest relationships remain with other guys.)
Then there are the character similarities between Curt and Sherlock. Both have major self-destructive tendencies. Both eat and sleep very little, though Sherlock chooses to do this to himself and Curt doesn’t seem to have much of a choice. Sherlock routinely risks his life to prove he’s clever and uses too many nicotine patches. He’s also a recovering drug addict; Curt is a current one, addicted to a random assortment of stolen prescription painkillers. Because of this, there are tons of opportunities for hurt/comfort elements in both the stories. (There’s also cute similarities in the way they ask to borrow other people’s cellphones and the way they disregard laws and social conventions.)
Also, Troy’s dad, Mr. Billings, is a security officer and fulfills a similar role to DI Lestrade in Sherlock.
Anyway, there’s something about this dynamic in both stories that I love. They’re connected by near-death experiences from the start of their relationship, end up closer than best friends (more like brothers or even lovers, if you prefer), and really complete each other and need each other. If anybody knows other relationships like this in books or TV or movies, please feel free to drop me a line. I love it. :)
The movie is on Netflix at the moment, and Curt’s name is changed to Marcus for some reason (probably too close to Kurt Cobain, the character he’s probably based on), which confused me at first. But it’s very entertaining, if not nearly as funny as the book it was based on, so check it out if you’re interested!
