“The Drama” is neither a standard comedy nor run-of-the-mill rom-com.
The film boasts darkly comic moments, no doubt, but the heart of the story is serious. We meet a couple (Zendaya, Robert Pattinson) blissfully in love until a revelation changes their dynamic.
Will they make it to their wedding day without splitting up? The better question might be, should they?
The film pivots on a confession made in the first act. It’s one this critic hid in the HiT review, and it’s something that shouldn’t be glibly shared. For the purposes of this article, though, it must be revealed.
And some Legacy Media outlets have done just that. And, in the process, suggested the movie’s key plot point should never have been attempted.
SPOILER ALERT
Zendaya’s character admits she seriously considered shooting up her school as a distressed teen, but she thankfully never saw her plans come to fruition.
The story takes the confession very seriously. Her betrothed is unmoored by the revelation.
Yet USA Today ran a feature decrying the film, written by someone who apparently hadn’t screened the movie or refused to add the necessary context. It also puts a school shooting survivor front and center, letting her weigh in on the film without having seen it.
Naturally, anyone who survived such a terrifying ordeal will have extreme opinions on a film or TV show exploring that subject matter. It’s like a cancer survivor watching a movie about a beloved character dying of melanoma.
So why write it in the first place?
USA Today goes further, enlisting “experts” who suggest the film is too triggering for audiences. Even more, they argue the film’s PR push, including stars Zendaya and Pattinson, is too positive and doesn’t reflect the gravity of the movie.
For somebody walking into the movie theater blind, “it could definitely be triggering,” Dr. Brad Bushman, a professor of communication at The Ohio State University, says. “It’s a very sensitive topic for many people, and I worry that such [films] could glorify mass shootings and treat them as no big deal.”
Bushman could have actually screened the film before weighing in on the matter. The film does no such thing.
Even the article itself has a trigger warning at the top.
Next, the co-founder of the anti-gun group March for Our Lives attacks the film, presumably sight unseen.
Movies like “The Drama” run the “very strong likelihood of resurfacing very real fears, particularly for viewers whose lives have been directly impacted by gun violence, and who may not be aware of the key plot elements in advance,” says Jackie Corin, cofounder and executive director of March For Our Lives. “For those who have experienced a gun crime firsthand or lost or nearly lost a loved one, the trauma that comes with it is permanent and can resurface at any time.”
Yes, it can. Should films avoid the issue? What other topics are off limits given these parameters? War? Molestation? Murder?
Not to be outdone, the far-Left Hollywood Reporter taps a different school shooting survivor to attack the film. The article also calls on Corin to weigh in, admitting that she hasn’t seen the film.
Seems important, no, to have a thorough understanding of the film?
THR then cues Corin up with a wildly unfair question to get a specific answer.
When asked whether the casting of two glamorous celebrities — Zendaya and Pattinson — as the leads can grant a cool factor to the idea of planning a shooting, Corin quickly points out that this has been a worry of hers.
“That was my biggest concern upon hearing about the plot,” she says. “When you have someone like Zendaya and Robert Pattinson attached to a project, they both — separately, but also especially together — bring an enormous amount of attention and cultural weight.”
The film doesn’t make school shootings look remotely cool. In fact, the entire film argues the opposite.
Did anyone at THR actually watch the movie? It’s a Hollywood news organization, isn’t it?
Why attack “The Drama” in the first place? The film has generated mostly positive reviews, and it’s only been out two days. Is there some major blowback happening already?
If so, these articles don’t share it.
The post Media Declares War on ‘Drama,’ Free Expression appeared first on Hollywood in Toto.
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