Hollywood has a relatability problem

I just finished watching 'Booksmart' with my wife after hearing how it was being hailed as one of the best movies of the year, as well as one of the funniest and most heartfelt movies to come along in awhile. It was fine, with a few good laughs throughout, and I did enjoy the relationship between Amy and Molly however it raised an issue that I've been noticing with comedies like these in recent years; relatability.

I recall upon the release of 'Booksmart', critics and film journalists/bloggers were wondering why the movie hadn't reached a larger audience, why it wasn't a hit with the general public, and I believe it's the fact that it may as well be taking place on another planet to be a big reason for that. How are we the audience supposed to place ourselves in the shoes of these characters when the vast majority of us have not, for example, frequented a posh house party in a mansion in an upscale LA neighbourhood?

I grew up upper/middle class and have never been to a house party like the ones depicted in these types of movies, ever. Not once. I've never stripped down to my underwear and jumped into a gorgeous backyard pool surrounded by palm trees with a bunch of other beautiful, scantily clad people. My parents never gave me, or let me drive a $70k SUV. My high school didn't look like some sort of modern art institute. All the power to you if you grew up in this Hollywood fantasy world but I'm fairly certain 99% of us did not; and Hollywood wants to know why these movies aren't hitting with audiences? Seems fairly obvious to me.

I understand the whole "write what you know" but a lot of these writers only know LA, or NYC so it's the only reference they have but if they want to make these so-called relatable "slice of life" movies then they need to figure out how to strike a chord with the public outside of these major metropolitan areas who haven't experienced nothing but privilege.

Take 'Superbad' as an example, probably the closest relative to 'Booksmart'; why did it succeed when 'Booksmart' did not? Why did it become a cultural phenomenon when it came out? I think it's pretty easy. The characters were relatable, and the situations, although exaggerated, also were. Ever been underage at a party in a strange house with older people you didn't really know, and found yourself in an awkward situation? Oh yes. Tried to score booze with a fake ID? I never had one but a buddy did and it was always nerve wracking. Played videogames with friends in a basement and drinking the parents booze. Raises hand again. The things in that movie also all happened in relatively middle class environments. Boom, people relate, and word of mouth is strong.

Now don't get me wrong, 'Booksmart' was fine but it wasn't the comedy masterpiece I was led to believe it was by critics and journalists. The girls were great and the best moments in the movie were the intimate and honest moments between them but I couldn't place myself really in any of the situations they found themselves in. It's time for Hollywood to get out of their upper class, bourgeois, LA bubble and realize there is a whole lot of country, culture, and class out there. If they want movies like these to be a hit, figure out who to write them for.

Apologies if I'm rambling by now, and thank you if you've actually read this far! Do you agree or disagree? What are some good examples of films in this vein that actually seem to get it?

Submitted December 31, 2019 at 10:35AM by TheHeyHeyMan https://ift.tt/35a52Q0