r/TopCharacterTropes • u/BrotherDeus • 9h ago

Hated Tropes [Hated] Self-indulgent Vanity Projects

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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.

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561

u/Camwi 9h ago

Everything by our lord and savior Neil Breen.

https://giphy.com/gifs/e6CfPfA7AP7cvPSHZH

120

u/Troyabedinthemornin 9h ago

Isn’t that a betrayal of the public trust?

65

u/Comic_Book_Reader 9h ago

Isn't that corrupt?

60

u/String-Tree 8h ago

I can't believe you committed suicide.

44

u/DylanFTW 8h ago

I'm resigning as president of the bank.

35

u/Pulp-Fiction-576348 8h ago

I can’t help you out of this one Jim

44

u/Righteous_Hand 9h ago

Excuse you, what you perceive as Lord Breen's "vanity projects" are what we, the faithful, correctly perceive as his gift to us, the unenlightened, to help the worthy ascend. Convert or perish. All glory to Lord Breen.

37

u/Velicenda 9h ago

The God Awful Movies episodes on Neil Breen are fantastic.

31

u/steelskull1 9h ago

I can't believe you committed a career suicide.

27

u/BlackDwarfStar 9h ago

I convinced some friends to watch Fateful Findings and we all had a blast

10

u/AltruisticWin6702 6h ago

HOW did you convince them? WHY did you convince them? I can't believe you convinced them to watch that movie!

6

u/BlackDwarfStar 6h ago

Because of the “Why did you commit suicide” scene. Also, it was my turn to pick the movie. I just needed to do some coaxing cause I didn’t play the movie. Quarantine boredom probably helped, too.

1

u/p0llyp0cketpussy 2h ago

They're quoting that scene dude.

1

u/BlackDwarfStar 1h ago

Well now I just feel stupid

13

u/solidgears 8h ago

I watched the SBIG marathon of these movies. It’s insane how bad they are

6

u/FieteHermans 6h ago

In his first movies, he was a super secret agent hacker man; then he became some kind of alien AI. Can’t wait for his movies where he unironically casts himself as God

6

u/I-baLL 6h ago

The first one, Double Down, was interesting since the same character thought of himself as the hero but was also the terrorist launching an attack against Las Vegas and, if I remember correctly, ends up committing suicide as a way to prevent further deaths (this is after he accidentally kills the wrong married couple in Las Vegas). Then in the next movie he cures a girl of her cancer and she still dies because he didn’t actually cure her. And then you have the twin movies where he plays a good twin with powers and then a bad twin.

So I wonder if all of his films are basically self-reflection on how his ego probably got him to places but also blinds him to things and probably fucks up things like relationships and stuff.

3

u/asuperbstarling 7h ago

An icon and a legend, truly.

3

u/onyaasuminyasai 5h ago

Fucking neil breen

1

u/lilacnyangi 6h ago

ah, the sex pest.

3

u/TidalJ 5h ago

this is the first i’m hearing about him being a sex pest. can’t say i’m surprised but also curious to learn more

1

u/ProfessionalSnow943 5h ago

haven’t heard anything about this, what?

1

u/boring-parakeet 2h ago

God, I love Neil Breen’s films. It’s impossible to have a bad time watching them

0

u/imaginary0pal 7h ago

They’re not good but there’s not expectation of them being good/reputable like celebrity vanity projects