Reviews

I am shocked at how polarizing this movie has been in terms of feedback. I say this as someone who was not anxiously anticipating its release nor as someone who was triggered by it's growing popularity, I went into this with neutrality. I knew this would have more powerful messaging than it seemed as I am a fan of Gerwigs previous works, but I knew if it did not that the film probably would leave me unfulfilled. For that reason, I was most bored during the first section of the film that was too lighthearted childlike for my taste but I was excited to get into the deeper plot points. This being said, I recognize the film was marketed ingeniously to produce buzz, however it was ineffective in describing what the movie was really about. I can totally see why parents may have thought this was appropriate for children despite the PG-13 rating but this absolutely was not made for kids. This was a campy commentary on the patriarchy in America and the modern feminist movement. These plot points were actually my biggest criticisms of it. From my perspective this displayed an accurate depiction modern feminism, which often neglects to acknowledge it's roots grown by in black feminists and the patriarchies disproportionate effects on low income women, especially those of color. This movie promoted a feminist message that feels decades behind, and in such an obvious way that I am shocked that this explored new ideas or dramatically moved anyone in the audience. It was a blunt reminder of how behind we are but not even through the messaging in the film but rather how viewers are reacting. The only feminist commentary beneath surface level that I would've been more excited to explore were made via side comments from various side characters like the socialist/anarchist daughter (who by the way I found upset to have seen painted as mean and then only kind after conforming to barbie's ideas of feminism, but I digress). With all that being said, it had a fantastic soundtrack, made me laugh quite a few times and Ryan Goslings acting was superb (ironically) although the whole cast did well with the script they were given. Justice for Michael Cera's character! I would've loved to see his cravings to break away from societal norms be further explored! The movie was fun, campy in a more obvious way than I usually like, but that's the mainstream Hollywood box office industry for you. My overall take is this wasn't made for a person like me who craves exploring new ideas or highlighting important calls to action as they relate to feminism rather than this rehashing this surface level anti-patriarchy message. I am glad that this is making people converse in what I'm understanding are new ideas to many, I am just shocked that they are in fact, new.

Finally tuned into this movie after hearing it's hype on tiktok a few years back and seeing maya hawke and sadie sink are involved in the project. Much to my surprise, Maya must have had some scheduling conflicts because they certainly underutilized their biggest talent.. This movie certainly held true to the 80's slasher vibe that I think it was going for and like many from that time, it was not very well done. I found myself pondering if this was supposed to be a kids movie many times as it was so difficult to keep my attention as an adult. It is so mild for the horror category with no new ideas, tropes or character development and I would not recommend it to anyone whos age doesn't end in "-teen".

I'll forewarn you- this perspective is coming from someone who read Jeannette Walls' memoir of the same name and gave it a full 5 star rating. This film adaptation fell short in many ways. It is clear that in a Hollywood styled effort to make a nearly indigestible case of child abuse more digestible, they cut out some of the most horrific yet important aspects of Jeannette's experience that makes the book so powerful. This sense of overcoming unparalleled adversity is present in the film but there's a sense of not understanding how exactly the characters got to this point. Woody Harrelson put on a noteworthy performance of the father Rex, as he was written, but the undertones of the movie are not the same as they are directly from Jeannette's mind. In short, if this movie does not trigger you in too many ways as it is written for the big screen, the book sends a much more powerful message with more shocking and disturbing context.