I once again feel like people talking about art in and of itself and people talking about the cultural impact of art (both valid, worthwhile conversations) are talking past each other. Yes, taken on its own terms, Goodfellas can be seen as a “critique” of the things it depicts.
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However, I think we’ve all known patriarchal assholes who love that movie, & others like it, and who don’t in any way feel challenged or threatened by what those films say about masculinity. If anything, those men on some level seek to emulate the behavior depicted in those films
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Perhaps we can say that this is entirely their fault for “not getting it.” But regardless of that, (and this is not me critiquing Goodfellas) *if* we believe that a film like it is meant to function as a critique, then I think, in terms of its cultural impact, it does not succeed
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It is possible to tell stories that are legitimately disruptive and challenging to patriarchy and to toxic masculinity. They don’t come around very often though. One way you can recognize them is they tend to make patriarchal men kind of uncomfortable.
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Carolyn Petit Retweeted BILL RYAN
Like, can’t we acknowledge that Goodfellas and films like it are not exactly doing wonders for our patriarchal culture without that being equated with calls for censorship?https://twitter.com/faceyouhate/status/1181664830819897345?s=21 …
Carolyn Petit added,
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Replying to @carolynmichelle
Scarface is probably an even more blatant one. Yes, you can see it as a parable of how drugs and obsessive ambition destroy his life and everything he cares for, but then you just have all the fanbros shouting "Haha! Say hello to my leetle friend! The world is yours! Awesome!"
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Replying to @MockWooloo @carolynmichelle
And of course the game even has him killing all his enemies at the film's end, and going on to basically become the Badass King of All Crime.
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Replying to @MockWooloo @carolynmichelle
The problem, see, is that people are fundamentally misunderstanding these movies. For example, you say that at the end of SCARFACE, Tony Montana kills all his enemies and goes "on to basically become the Badass King of All Crime." Here's how SCARFACE actually ends.pic.twitter.com/BJdlShWnj5
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Oh, I agree. I just think it's a reality that people will misunderstand these films, will be far more moved by images of excitement and glorification during a film than any consequences characters may ultimately face as a result of their actions.
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Replying to @carolynmichelle @faceyouhate
And so *if* a film wants to function as a critique in terms of its cultural impact (which it's under no moral obligation to do), then the filmmakers need to understand and account for this about humans and how we collectively respond to images and narratives.
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