Sh*t, Actually by Lindy West (#100 in 2020)
Thank you to @librofm for my advanced listening copy!
In this collection of essays, Lindy West humorously and critically dissects the most iconic cult classics in pop-culture cinema.
Do you love any of the following?
Love, Actually
Forrest Gump
Harry Potter
Back to the Future
Titanic
The Santa Claus
... because this is just a small sampling.
Well prepare for Lindy to uncover plot holes (e.g. how the Dursleys sacrifice precious storage space to keep their hated nephew, Harry Potter, in a closet under the stairs), to dissect underlying themes (e.g. like how straight white men deserve some degree of unfettered access to other people's bodies in American Pie), to point out sexism (e.g. the fact that the women in Love, Actually are objectified and only serve as trophies for men), to criticize how ridiculous some plot points are (e.g. how, in Titanic, Rose spends the whole movie complaining that men can’t tell her what to do but then does whatever Jack tells her to do), to casually mention hilarious details you otherwise wouldn't have noticed (e.g. Pumba from The Lion King kills all of the hyenas for fat shaming him earlier in life), and to comedically mock the most minute of details (e.g. the entirety of Jeff Goldblum's character in Jurassic Park). Oh... and she argues that Nicholas Cage should be in every movie 😂
Lindy West is a TRIP! Her commentary on Harry Potter, the chapter aptly titled "Harry Pothole," not only had me in stitches but genuinely made me go, "hmm." She brought me back to those questions I had while reading the HP books as a kid but chalked up to, "ehh I'm young; what do I know?" Lindy also made me consider the plot holes in every other TV show or movie I've watched recently...
There is, however, one movie that Lindy backs 110% and that movie is The Fugitive... which I've never seen... which I should probably go watch right now.
Four stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Now for the fun question: what movie do you hate and why? Go at it!
Comments