(Warner Bros.)
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Leonardo DiCaprio is in the new Paul Thomas Anderson film One Battle After Another. The film is loosely based on the 1990 novel Vineland from Thomas Pynchon. Vineland makes a point about Ronald Reagan and is a story about a political life. Keep this in mind.
The trailer dropped today and gave us a bit more insight into Anderson’s take on the story. From the trailer, it is very clearly about a “rebellion” and pushing back on the government. They say as much in the trailer. So if you weren’t aware of what the novel was about, the trailer clues you in. Still, let us go on.
It already has my attention. I’d watch DiCaprio and Benicio del Toro in a hallway for the rest of time if I could. But the trailer ends with DiCaprio yelling “Viva la revolution” and holding his fist up to del Toro who responds in kind. So again, very much showing its political edge in the trailer.
Here, before we go on, I will let you watch the trailer and decide for yourself whether or not you think this is political story.
Now that you have that in mind, let’s take a look at how Discussing Film talked about it. Their tweet about the film included pictures of DiCaprio and the account wrote “The film follows a civil rights activist who joins an anti-government group to combat a white supremacist organization.”
So tell me why someone responded to their tweet with “Hopefully, the movie just lets Leo act and isn’t trying to make some political point with the plot.” Someone else pointed out that the film is based on Vineland, the user responded with a baffling response.
“There is a difference between just making a movie with the plot based on a political story and shoving a viewpoint down people’s throats. I watch movies to be entertained and not be told one way or another how I should feel about a certain topic.” Okay then maybe don’t see a movie about someone who is fighting a rebellion during the Reagan era!
Reading comprehension really is dead
The idea that this movie wouldn’t be political is wild. But more than that, Leonardo DiCaprio himself is a vocal liberal who endorsed Kamala Harris for President and has spoken about climate change. So did you think that a movie that is very much based on a political storyline wouldn’t be political?
I don’t understand how people like this “Mr. Knish” watch movies and consume media. Do you watch something like Andor and think it has no political messaging? Or do you think that anything opposing viewpoints that the MAGA party has adopted is labeled as “political”?
If DiCaprio was fighting against the Biden administration in this way, would this reply even be a thing? Probably not but also it baffles me that anyone can read that description and think the film wouldn’t be political.
Maybe that’s where we went wrong. The right sees anything that opposes their views as being “too political” or forcing a viewpoint down their throats and we’re all left scratching our heads over how someone can read words and not understand a single one of them.
