I am reading One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston, and I saw some review that was like “ugh it’s too idealistic, it’s like the authors just putting on a performance for the audience rather than telling a story” and I’m like yesss, but that’s the point. They’re indulging us. As I was reading I kept getting so excited, like I’m less than half through (so this might not hold up) but I kept just thinking no way, how does everything keep happening so perfectly, this is like fanfiction of an actual book, or written like the dreams I use to fall asleep.
And then I was thinking (aside from the fact that’s exactly how I feel about Red White and Royal Blue politics criticism), that’s what defines all my favourite movies. They’re all built to indulge us. There’s Legally Blonde and Little Women and Ocean’s 8 and Mamma Mia and Midnight in Paris and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and they’re all designed to give us exactly what we want, in ways that are bold but nuanced and more often than not flippin stunning. It’s why Heartstopper was so revolutionary, and more generally why we love fanfiction and romcoms.
In conclusion, that’s why the Barbie movie is going to be a cultural reset.