Here’s another sure-fire sign that we’re living through a kind of cinematic apocalypse.
A writer by the name of Holly Williams has written one of those this-classic-is-problematic think pieces for The Independent. Williams tackles, of all the movies, Richard Curtis’ “Love Actually” which isn’t any kind of masterpiece, but has become a well-loved film for many during the holiday season. Williams aims to strip that joy out of people with this piece — she sounds, like all these virtue-signalling writers, a total narcissist grinch.
Of course, as always, when it comes to these kinds of revisionist write-ups, this one is a truly terrible take all across the board. Williams criticizes the film as “problematic,” shot via a “male gaze,” and complains that it tackles “passive women serving mens needs and desires”
“The message certainly seems to be: only women who are sexy and make their men happy get their own happy endings. Screw you, Richard Curtis. That’s not OK, actually.”
There’s a weird phenomenon going on these days in film journalism, almost like a contest, between these nervous 20-somethings, where the person who points out something ‘problematic’ first, wins. It’s all about status, an endorphin rush, feeling better and more socially aware.
Williams also calls out the film for not having a same-sex story as part of its plot. Yes, because every romcom should, apparently, live in a world where 50% of the population is gay. The idea that every movie must represent every group is ridiculous. That’s not how life works, but apparently some people seem to believe it’s true.
At the end of the day, you have to be one sad sack individual to demand representation towards a movie released 20 years ago? Williams is essentially mad that a two-decade-old movie doesn’t check all the boxes for today’s moral compass.
Williams would probably have a stroke if, God forbid, she finally decided to start watching movies from the ‘50s. “Love Actually” is peanuts compared to some of the “male gaze” classics from that era.
Apparently, left-leaning rags hating on “Love Actually” around Christmas time has become a thing, with Vox Stylist, Insider, Cosmopolitan, The Atlantic, Jezebel and Cracked having all shared their outrage over the years …