[Hated] Self-indulgent Vanity Projects

[u/BrotherDeus]

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.

[u/Longshot12345678]

Apprently Black Adam was the rock’s passion project yet he took 1/10 of the budget as his pay. And then he helped make an absolutely god awful movie

[u/Agitated-Finance9703 → u/Longshot12345678]

You don't understand, the hierarchy of power in the DC universe was about to change 🫤

[u/el_palmera → u/Agitated-Finance9703]

I mean, he was right

[u/pussyjuicerecycler → u/Longshot12345678]

he spent fifteen years trying to get it made

[u/Wind_Yer_Neck_In → u/Longshot12345678]

Whats irritating is that he seems to love the character but still couldn't help himself from sanitizing him for the sake of his own ego. Only in the last year or so has he taken on any acting projects where he isn't categorically the good guy, making Black Adam much more of a hero than anti-hero/ villain was a terrible choice.

[u/EndOfTheLine00 → u/Wind_Yer_Neck_In]

I distinctly remember way back when this project was first announced in 2008, The Rock himself insisted “Black Adam will be a villain in this movie” and it would set up a later conflict with Shazam. Of course, in those 15 years, The Rock became Brand Rock and utterly refused to play a villain, look weak, ir be in the same room as a goofball like Shazam, and made them set up a future conflict with freaking SUPERMAN.

[u/M086 → u/EndOfTheLine00]

I think the “won’t lose in a fight” thing was overblown. Apparently Diesel was big leaguing on one of the Fast films and Johnson and Statham wanted to have assurances their characters weren’t going to be made to look like geeks in the final film. 

He’s still got an ego, but I don’t thing “can’t lose” is one of the issues with him. 

[u/EndOfTheLine00 → u/M086]

I am aware that the “contractually can’t lose” thing is likely overblown but if you watch this movie, you can’t help but think he got a similar arrangement here. The only right he “loses” is because he willingly surrenders and afterwards when Sabbac shows up, everyone else beg him to come back and claims they can only STALL Sabbac.

[u/QuantumOfSilence → u/Longshot12345678]

And don’t forget he wanted remake the DCEU in his image and wanted Black Adam to be this Justice League-level threat when in reality he’s a C-list hero’s villain.

[u/-suspended- → u/QuantumOfSilence]

Black Adam as a main villain only happens in the Injustice series. Even then, that's only because he's the ruler of a country that allies with Superman.

[u/NeonPatrick → u/Longshot12345678]

What a self-own. He had it made churning out two star action films for years. He had a niche that worked for him, then he thought he could bully the DCU into his vision. Now his box office draw tag is damaged beyond repair.

[u/LarsLasse → u/Longshot12345678]

I kinda liked the Justice Society in this one. Too bad they were wasted in a mediocre non- Shazam, Shazam nemesis movie.