“Becoming Ozzed” (idiomatic expression) — When a movie becomes so thoroughly and repeatedly lampooned throughout pop culture, that when you go back to the original, it seems like a joke. The expression is derived from The Wizard of Oz, the oldest and purest example of this phenomenon; nearly every single thing that happens in The Wizard of Oz — from “I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore Toto” to fire for the Scarecrow to the Lion’s voice to “I’ll get you my pretty…” to the flying monkeys to click your heels — has been quoted, re-created, parodied, and referenced so prominently over such an extended period of time, that now, through no fault of the movie itself, when you go back and watch the original, you can’t believe that there was a time when these elements were accepted as original and (to a degree) serious.
The Godfather, as another example, has been Ozzed almost as severely as The Wizard himself; it’s still a great movie, obviously, and it’s still extremely watchable, but Marlon Brando’s entire character (to say nothing of the restaurant scene or “offer he can’t refuse” or the horse head) is so ingrained in popular lexicon, that when you watch the movie now, he sounds like he’s doing a sh*tty mobster impression, only because his mobster impression was so memorable, it comes off as derivative of itself in retrospect. A movie being Ozzed, in this roundabout way, is actually a hard-earned compliment.
Do not mistake “becoming Ozzed” with simply quoting a movie to death — films like Office Space, Anchorman, Napoleon Dynamite, etc. have all been quoted in conversation at least, like, five or six times in the past decade, but if someone watches those movies now for the first time (somehow), the movies wouldn’t come off as derivative or predictable, the person would simply recognize an isolated series of lines (or, in the case of Napoleon Dynamite, the entire movie, including the opening and closing credits, previews, and studio logo).
In conclusion (also my entire reason for posting this today out of nowhere), I would now like to anoint another film into the Ozzed Movies Hall of Fame. Joining the ranks of The Wizard of Oz, The Godfather, Star Wars, Scarface (ridiculous before being Ozzed, but still Ozzed), and a handful of others, I am proud to announce, upon re-watching it this week for the fortieth time, that THE MATRIX has most definitely become Ozzed.
Matrix, you’re a terrific movie whose fan-worship has never dissuaded me from considering you one of the greatest action films of all time, but my goodness, thanks to Shrek, Charlie’s Angels, all of the “Movies” from “Scary” to “Disaster”, and pretty much every other piece of media in the last ten years (including Touched By An Angel, America’s Most Wanted, and Pepper Dennis), we will truly never be able to look at the 360-degree camera rotation, the slow-mo bullet dodging, those green numbers, kung fu with Laurence Fishburne, or taking red or blue pills seriously ever again.
Which 2008 film will join these elite, cultural milestones of movies that become so popular that the original somehow appears to be a parody of itself when you go back and watch it again? I’ve got my money on Traveling Pants II.
