Hollywood is trying to appeal to red states and retreating from progressive messaging

[gumby]

Over the past few years, Hollywood has released movies with progressive values, often with little success, according to the New York Times. "Barbie" was a huge success," but "Strange World," "The Marvels" and "The Color Purple" did not do well. Ticket buyers are sending the message: "We just want to be entertained, no homework attached," The Times

Comments

[genbu_no_miko24]

I def don't mind progressive messages in film but my issues is that half the time it's shitty and lazy writing. I keep thinking it was more setup for that social media reaction or those positive thinkpieces on why that scene was great rather than letting it flow better in the movie. Like America's speech in Barbie I agree with what was being said but it was so poorly done cause I immediately was like "this is Greta's girl power moment" like the one she had in Little Women. I don't like when it takes me out and I can guess what the director's mindset was in that moment whether they were sending a message or setting up an oscar bait moment.

[frejasface]

Yeah, I actually didn't care much for the messaging in Barbie because it was so tell-and-not-show.

[alwayspolaris]

Tell and not show is exactly right. Everyone keeps trying to give these big speeches or have these one-liners in their movies (I blame Whedon) to fix everything and bring it all together when they needed to be doing something MORE the whole time.

9 to 5 is one of my top favorite feminist films, and they don't just make some speech about fixing things - they get together and do it, and show the results. And the entire film is about the friendship that forms between these three women and the solidarity with their coworkers. The only big speech I can think of is Dolly's hilarious one where she threatens to turn the boss from a rooster to a hen lol.

[euraylie]

Exactly! I know some people in HW and even here argued that the masses are dumb and it had to be simplified in this way for them to understand. While I agree that the masses can be dumb, there has to be a way to write this type of message much better and still make your point obvious. A speech done in this way, I would almost argue, is probably less effective in terms of audience impact than if you cleverly weave your message into and throughout the entire story.

[tekan]

People don't mind progressive messages. They mind terrible writing.

[ivn]

But climate change is a FACT, not a buzz word, not a political position. Just say you don’t want to alienate certain audiences because want more profit. Sugarcoating the truth from conservatives serve no one but their pockets.

[my_moloko]

Climate change is absolutely a fact but people decided to make it political. Even here in Canada there are so many people convinced that our wildfires are started by the liberals to make a point about climate change. They genuinely believe this.

[ivn]

That these big movie executives would even pander to them for profit is absolutely disgusting. Like how can you make a movie about mega tornadoes and not even mention climate change just so you don’t accidentally offend these idiots? The ridiculousness!

[my_moloko]

I know. I feel like surely they could have had some kind of throwaway line about climate change increasing the severity and frequency of tornados or something. It doesn't have to be preachy. But no one wants to address the elephant in the room.

[xtinkerbellax]

Eww.

[skyler_white_yo]

TBH, if they want to send progressive message without pissing off right wing weirdos in the audience, they need to do look to what classic sci fi shows (Twilight Zone, Star Trek, Dr, Who) did, and cleverly sneak that message in.

[genbu_no_miko24]

Show don't tell is the best way to go in general. If you gotta spoon-feed your audience then it's a lack of skill on the director/writer's part.

[my_moloko]

I'm starting to think a lot of the people did not get the underlying messages in those shows. No concept of subtext or anything.

[elevatorshaker]

Of course they didn't. Star Trek was a fucking commie space utopia and people say that having gay characters on it now is what made it go woke.