Films that were Overhyped

The cultural hive-mind influences film discourse more than ever in our beloved internet age. Unfortunately, quite often, the hype, be it in awards season, by word of mouth, or in the media, is undeserved. On the flip side, many films absolutely deserve the cultural hype - some deserve even more praise. We decided to round up a few films that fit in either category: films that didn’t live up to the hype and films that lived up to it and soared beyond expectations! Please note, our word is final and we will not accept feedback. Thanks so much! ;)

FILMS THAT DON’T LIVE UP TO THE HYPE

1. Inherent Vice (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2014)

Inherent Vice, written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, boasted great anticipation due to its starstudded cast and Anderson’s previous hits such as Boogie Nights (1997) and The Master (2012). The story follows the disappearance of a hippie private investigator, played by Joaquin Phoenix, on his journey through the criminal underworld to find his disappeared ex-girlfriend. Disappointingly, this film is shallowly acted and unbelievable (not in a fun way). It is a poor parody of 70s stoner culture, couched in an obnoxiously complicated plot, that seemed to be constructed simply to seem impressive. Anderson should have watched The Big Lebowski a few times to learn how to make a complicated plot about crime and stoners actually work. Of course, we can’t blame Anderson too much as the film is based on a Thomas Pynchon novel by the same name. As Anthony Lane wrote, “Nobody has ever turned a Pynchon book into a movie before, for the same reason that nobody has managed to cram the New York Philharmonic into a Ford Focus.” Regardless, after hearing about this film for years and finally watching it, I was let down, to say the least.

2.Glass Onion (Rian Johnson, 2022)

I could write a book about how bad Glass Onion is.

I mean, give me a break. It would be trashy on its own, but in comparison to the delightful entertainment of Knives Out (2019), it was shockingly bad. Written and directed by Rian Johnson, the film’s attempt to be camp ended up a superficial, glossy, techno nightmare - absolute contrast to the believability of the performative, rich, xenophobic New England family of Knives Out. The acting, for which I held out hope that it would be a redeeming factor amidst the rest of the chaotic mess, was abysmal. Katherine Hahn was overwrought and gave me heaps of second hand embarrassment; Kate Hudson did the same. Janelle Monáe seemed like she was in an off-broadway musical striving in vain for fame. It was dire. Most disappointingly, Benoit Blanc, the connecting thread in Knives Out was made clownish and goofy, rather than the cleverly odd but insightful detective we knew previously. Furthermore, Blanc’s own intentions and role in the plot became central to the mystery, rather than the actual mystery of who killed whom and who knew what. Again, this is in direct opposition to Knives Out and is not the point of a detective mystery genre film. You would have to ClockworkOrange-eye-scene me to get me to watch this again.

3. Don’t Worry Darling (Olivia Wilde, 2022)

Directed by Olivia Wilde, this ‘psychological thriller’ was on everyone’s mind throughout summer and fall 2022. Released September 5th in the US, the two weeks before its release in Ireland were full of anticipatory discussion. The hype was bolstered by the complex personal (and highly publicised) drama between the actors both on and off set. Did Harry Styles spit on Chris Pine at the Venice Film Festival? In fact, on March 1st, Chris Pine publicly insisted this did not happen. What did Olivia Wilde actually say to Shia LeBoeuf, and why? Why did Jason Sudeikis lie in the driveway in front of Wilde’s car when she took her salad dressing out of the fridge? Where does Florence Pugh fit into all of this? Why does she look so good in purple?