Newsweek, of all places, has a story in their new issue that asks whether or not the sagas of Harry Potter and Tony Soprano are, in fact, one and the same. Ballsy. We did a double take when we saw the headline, "When Harry Met Tony," (then we thought about that Meg Ryan line from Knocked Up - "she does full frontal in that movie, she should be fuckin' Harry" - and lost our train of thought). After all, what do J.K. Rowling and David Chase have in common?
Plenty, according to writer Malcom Jones. Well, once you get past the fact that one is a pimply, pubescent wizard and the other's a murderous Jersey mob boss. The similiarities are as follows:
1. Both are heroes rooted in self-doubt
2. Both are surrounded by subcultures. For Tony, it's organized crime, and for Harry, the world of magic.
3. Both are rejected by the "straight" world. Tony is an outsider to law-abiding citizens and Harry is never accepted by the Muggles.
4. Both are indentifiable protagonists for their respective audiences. Kids identify with flying ability/athletic prowess, whereas adults empathize with Tony's marital/parental conflicts.
5. Both are "destined by their characters" to be what they are. Their fate is not the changeable kind.
6. Both have gone into the family business.
7. Both are on a quest.
8. Both are forced to pass a test at every turn.
9. Both will be surrounded - and haunted - by the death of others.
10. Both are endlessly watchable because they face the same questions we face - only on a grander scale.
It's a pretty interesting read, if ultimately deflating. The same kind of comparison can be made between practically any set of pop culture icons no matter how obvious (Sawyer and Han Solo) or insane (Alf and Ryan Atwood). Still, check it out if you're into, you know, Newsweek.
Tony Soprano, Harry Potter: The Same Story? [Newsweek]
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