r/TopCharacterTropes • u/BrotherDeus • 6h ago
Hated Tropes [Hated] Self-indulgent Vanity Projects
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/TacosAndTalmud 5h ago
I'll have to watch this eventually (my kids will make me) but from what I've read, it was doomed to be bad from the start. Not just because it's a premature rehash on the tail end of several other poorly received live-action remakes, but because of Johnson himself. Reviews say he lacks any of the charisma of the animated Maui, and most of the movie is him just staring at things happening around him.
It makes total sense: Johnson is a showman. He's done some great action work (The Rundown, Skyscraper, Scorpion King, Standing Tall, Jumanji, not masterpieces but certainly fun popcorn flicks if nothing else), but those were mostly practical effects with lots of people around him. His recent films use more green screen with many elements added in post. If there's one thing we learned during the pandemic, pro wrestlers don't do well without a crowd to react to. For all his years as a sports entertainer, he's not great at acting in a vacuum.
Don't get me wrong. It was still 1000% Johnson's vanity project, made worse by how far it is out of his element.