The Wrong Girls review – Kristen Stewart's forgettable stoner com
· business
The Fading Flame of Stoner Comedy: A Box Office Bane?
The stoner comedy genre has been in decline for several years. Gone are the days when Superbad dominated box offices and redefined the teen comedy genre. Kristen Stewart’s latest film, The Wrong Girls, attempts to revive the flame with a female-led twist but ultimately succumbs to lazy stereotypes and unfunny jokes.
The film’s premise is straightforward: two best friends live in a hippie paradise filled with cat towers and a contraption that serves as a bong. Their stoner lifestyle gives them a carefree attitude and magical thinking, which sounds harmless enough. However, beneath this surface lies a mess of clichés.
The biggest problem with The Wrong Girls is its reliance on tired tropes. The female-led twist feels like a shallow attempt at modernizing the genre rather than genuinely subverting it. These characters’ antics are more cartoonish than clever, their power ballad singing and ocean-dwelling fantasies a jumbled mess of stereotypes.
This misfire highlights the stoner comedy genre’s broader issues. With streaming services making R-rated content more accessible than ever, it’s puzzling that audiences would rather watch these movies at home rather than on the big screen. The Wrong Girls’ decision to go wide in theaters suggests a misguided confidence in its appeal.
The industry has tried various ways to revive this dying genre, including more female-led films and outlandish premises. Still, audiences seem less interested than ever. One possible reason is that these movies are too formulaic or childish. Alternatively, it may be because viewers have become more discerning and tired of revisiting the same worn-out ideas.
The industry’s willingness to take risks, as seen in Neon’s decision to release The Wrong Girls nationwide, might signal a last gasp for the stoner comedy genre – an attempt to reignite the flame one more time before it fizzles out entirely. However, this also raises questions about what makes a movie tick and how filmmakers can innovate without sacrificing quality and originality.
The real question is whether anyone will be there to catch the last gasp of this fading flame or if the stoner comedy genre will succumb to the same fate as many before it – relegated to nostalgic memories and forgotten on DVD shelves.
Reader Views
- TNThe Newsroom Desk · editorial
While The Wrong Girls' failure may be seen as just another nail in the coffin of the stoner comedy genre, it's worth examining whether this type of film is simply not being marketed to the right audience. Rather than trying to revive a tired formula, studios should consider rebooting these movies with a more nuanced and sophisticated approach that targets an older demographic. By appealing to adults who grew up on stoner comedies but now want something more cerebral, filmmakers might find a new lease on life for this struggling genre.
- DHDr. Helen V. · economist
The stoner comedy genre's stagnation is not just about tired tropes or lazy writing, but also about shifting audience preferences and demographics. The article mentions that audiences may be turned off by these movies' formulaic nature, but I'd argue it's also a matter of cultural relevance. With the rise of more mature and nuanced comedies, stoner films risk feeling like relics of a bygone era. To truly revive this genre, studios need to innovate not just in premise or casting, but also in tackling real-world issues through humor.
- MTMarcus T. · small-business owner
The stoner comedy genre's woes can't be solely blamed on lazy writing or overreliance on tropes. The bigger problem lies in the fact that these movies are struggling to adapt to changing viewing habits. With so many great R-rated comedies available on streaming platforms, why would anyone pay premium ticket prices for a subpar film like The Wrong Girls? It's not just about the quality of the movie; it's about the value proposition. As audiences increasingly opt for convenience and variety at home, theaters need to offer more unique experiences to justify the higher costs.