Now, nobody is saying that Mickey Rooney's performance as the Chinaman in Breakfast at Tiffany's was a hallmark of cinematic greatness, but it came from a time where studios weren't terrified about a Twitter campaign resulting in a mass bycott and media circus for their film. Nowadays everyone has a voice, and studios need to ensure their products don't offend anyone for any reason, which can result in these films playing it safe, leading to a more homogenised final product. Nobody wants a racist joke in a Marvel film, for instance, but on the whole, in an attempt to part as many people with as many bucks as possible, it feels like as viewers have gained more agency, creative types in Hollywood have been forced to tailor their project to an agreeable, inoffensive center point, completely free of provocation and daring. Banality is itself offensive, and shocking for the sake of shock does little to alleviate that, but that previous generations seemed to walk less on egg shells is an admirable, if occasionally embarrassing facet of classic cinema. Can It Make A Comeback?: On the other hand, there is always going to be Michael Bay's films for those in need of a dose of casual sexism and racism, so hey, it's not all bad, right!? Some films, namely dark comedies, are always going to happily push the envelope, though these efforts will forever be in the minority, of course. When audiences will pay to watch Adam Sandler in drag or Melissa McCarthy fall over a dozen times in a row, why even bother being edgy?
Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes).
General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.
