I have a long-running argument with a friend of mine over which of Jean Renoir’s films is better: The Rules of the Game or The Grand Illusion.  To me it’s clear that the latter deals with much bigger issues, and is overall much more pessimistic in its worldview.  It is, after all, essentially a movie that is about two World Wars.  The Rules of the Game, on the other hand, takes reckless optimism as its theme, which is a fairly simple matter considering the fact that all of the characters are rich bourgeois snobs pining over each other.  So what’s the big deal there?

It hit me last night.  After two complete seasons of watching Gossip Girl, I finally see the appeal.