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The Hollywood tearjerker is an art form of pure privilege. Your life a little too comfy and bright? Here are some well-paid, attractive people acting out manipulative drivel to get those eyes a-weepinโ€™. At this particular moment in history there are some pretty fucking important things to cry about for realโ€”but here comes Collateral Beauty, a vile shitfleck of a movie that whispers, โ€œNo, no, donโ€™t worry about Aleppo; shhh, donโ€™t grieve over the death of American democracy,โ€ then tells you some baloney about dead cancer kids and thrusts a box of tissues into your hand.

Ned Lannamann is a writer and editor in Portland, Oregon. He writes about film, music, TV, books, travel, tech, food, drink, outdoors, and other things.