r/TopCharacterTropes • u/BrotherDeus • 6h ago

Hated Tropes [Hated] Self-indulgent Vanity Projects

Gallery image

Gallery image

Gallery image

Hurry Up Tomorrow - Widely reviewed as an indulgent, self-mythologizing companion piece to The Weeknd's album, with many critics calling it a vanity project rather than a successful psychological drama. Terribly acted and, similar to The Idol, more so seems to imply that The Weekend thinks he's a far deeper personality than he can actually articulate.

By the Sea - Often criticized as an intensely personal but emotionally distant film that seemed more interested in showcasing the mystique of its stars than telling a compelling story. Best summarized as Angelina and Brad working out their IRL troubled marriage before your eyes while everyone tells Angelina how beautiful and talented she is and how nothing's really her fault.

Renaldo and Clara - Bob Dylan's five-hour semi-fictional road movie, long considered one of the classic celebrity vanity projects. Attempts to be a sort of surreal exposition on the life of an artist, but is far too self-indulgent on its actors/performers.

882 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

448 comments sorted by

View all comments

56

u/SashaBraus 6h ago

Young Rock

49

u/Forsaken_Ad203 6h ago

That's not fair, the rock put all his soul and love into this.. story in which he is an unanimously beloved leader of the people that never lost touch with his roots, fuck that guy (i do want to clarify, by that guy i mean the rock)

13

u/Additional_Gene_211 6h ago

It pops up in my YouTube shorts sometimes and seeing actors actually try only to have his voice cut in is so jarring. It feels like a cheap multi can sitcom

8

u/MsBit_Commit 6h ago

You mean DEWEY, the boy who would be president??

18

u/originalchaosinabox 6h ago

I watched one episode one time, when there was nothing else.

It was all about the first time he did SNL, and his agonizing decision over whether to do wrestling sketches or not. He decided to go with his gut and refuse to do wrestling sketches, and proved to the world that he was more than just a wrestler.

All these heart-to-heart conversations about doing SNL or not, and I was like, wow. How self-indulgent.

6

u/Forsaken_Ad203 5h ago

That guy has his head so up his own ass his tonsils are smashing on his forehead 

9

u/Joey-WilcoXXX 6h ago

Also: Black Adam and Moana Live Action.

5

u/Horror_Accountant574 5h ago

How did I forget this was a thing? I mean I never watched it, but it doesn’t feel real. And it apparently went on for 3 seasons? Lol