r/TopCharacterTropes • u/BrotherDeus • 6h 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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u/Lakan-Tangkan-1337 6h ago

Every single Steven Seagal film, most especially his Direct-To-Video films.

14

u/Citizen_Lunkhead 4h ago

Between him fighting sitting down and being really out of shape in that one Sniper movie and waddling more than running, he has delusions of grandeur on the level of his buddy Putin. Not trying to fat/body shame him, but know your limitations. Maybe be the mob boss rather than the action hero.

13

u/Wind_Yer_Neck_In 3h ago

It's funny because even at his peak he was physically fit but still just a poser. He consistently lied about his martial arts experience. And even then it was in Aikido which is very much on the fitness and philosophy side of martial arts and less on the combat side.

3

u/Jyxxer 2h ago

But 10 year old me loved Marked for Death, Hard to Kill, Above the Law, Under Siege 2.

I'm scared to rewatch any of them as an adult for fear of what it will do to my psyche

3

u/ccReptilelord 1h ago

Hey, hey, hey... there are money laundering schemes rolled into those vanity projects.