Vengeance

I think this film means a lot more than people are letting on. Sure, its critique of a divided America is merely surface-level (nothing we haven't seen on Twitter), and BJ Novak doesn't ever really take the steps to dive into the world of West Texas when his character is presented with it. But this movie is so much more than that; it's filled with much more heart. Novak's character Ben, a stereotypical NPR podcaster from New York, is looking for something to boost his career, and he finds it in West Texas. A previous hookup of his dies, and her brother wants Ben to come to Texas to "avenge" her. Ben needs to tell a story that isn't just about hookup culture, but something that will really grip his audience. He starts off how we'd expect: a patronizing elitist liberal who tries to diagnose the events unfolding as part of a larger story about the issues plaguing middle America. As he grows closer to the Shaws, he learns to humanize them, as well as act as more of an anthropologist than investigative reporter. He tries to understand Texan culture, so that he can formulate his social theory about how grief in 2022 America requires the invention of myths and conspiracies to place the blame of real-life horrors on something identifiable. This character of Quentin Sellers puts all of this into perspective with one of Ashton Kutcher's most magnificent performances in recent memory. Quentin beams with wisdom and in this story is an unexpected intellectual rival to Ben. His final revelation in the third act is truly incredible and is why I love the film. I think Novak understands the undercurrents of our society better than a lot of other contemporary writers, especially with Quentin's line "Everything means everything, and so nothing means anything." He understands the postmodern notion of the internet eroding the very essence of truth, thus everyone being stuck in their own reality. I think what it boils down to is great writing. I think Novak hit the nail on the head with some of the comments made about American society, and how our hyper-consumerist media-obsessed culture has led to disastrous outcomes for much of the country. This was such a great peer into his mind.