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The version they went with is some mix of Forrest Gump, Rainman, Mr. Miyagi and Mr. Rogers. The American bumpkin bit is lightly done, and they don’t make the mistake of pandering to American prejudices against soccer or European prejudices against American football. Worked well.
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The version above they thankfully avoided is a clueless dick and plays to tired stereotypes of American arrogance. The version they went with is confident but open and curious and learns to coach soccer as a different game. He’s about humanity and the spirit of sports generally.
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Kinda cool how radically differently story concepts can play depending on how you run the same character. Jadon Sudekis is a good actor. He could play both versions.
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Another example of the effect is Season 1 Homer Simpson vs later. Small shifts in energy and attitude valence making a huge difference in characterization.
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We often talk of cultural works that are too early for their time. You make a great point that one can be too late as well. I've barely heard anyone talking about Ted Lasso besides a few people on twitter.
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But weirdly, precisely because of how brittle, tense, thin and unforgiving the atmosphere has become, it took that perfectly dopey schmaltz to grease some difficult family dynamics this holiday season. I have a new found admiration for the mental health benefits of pure schmaltz.
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