This spring's blockbuster films are plagued by a smug, self-satisfied tone, according to critics. From the Hulu movie Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice to Ready or Not 2: Here I Come and They Will Kill You, a common thread of forced irreverence and lazy humour emerges. These films rely on gags about characters' unexpected pop culture knowledge, ignorance of common terms, and excessive swearing, all in a bid to appear unconventional.
Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice, written and directed by BenDavid Grabinski, exemplifies this trend. Its comedy hinges on three tired modes: characters being overly familiar with niche pop culture, characters not knowing things like Winnie-the-Pooh or the word 'comeuppance', and characters swearing profusely. The film strains for irreverence but feels derivative.
Similarly, Ready or Not 2: Here I Come features Samara Weaving fighting wealthy devil-worshippers, with profanity-laden dialogue and ironic music cues. They Will Kill You follows a near-identical premise with similar potty-mouthed humour. Even the feel-good hit Project Hail Mary, starring Ryan Gosling, indulges in quippy banter between a scientist and an alien, aiming for convention-flouting cleverness.
Critics trace this trend to influences like Joss Whedon's Marvel era and 90s auteurs Kevin Smith and Quentin Tarantino, who balanced violence with minutiae-laden dialogue. However, this current wave of semi-ironic attachment seems driven by genuine love rather than obligation, albeit with mixed results.
