I don't get it

Rating: 7/10 (12 April 2020)

It was entertaining, with good execution. But best picture?
Some people seem to love the fact that it switches masterfully between genres, which to me seems like something that would excite a movie geek or critic more than it would a regular viewer.
Others delight in the ambiguity of not quite knowing whom to root for - while that might distinguish it from a stereotypical "american" narrative it hardly elevates it to some exalted status. To its credit, I think the strongest feature of the film is that the director brilliantly manipulates the viewer's emotions by superimposing classically sympathetic elements onto the objectively non-virtuous and indeed villainous. What seems relatable and sympathetic in the moment is actually part of a pattern of deeply objectionable behavior, while what seems moderately dislikable is actually fairly mundane. This incongruity is layered on to brilliant effect.
Now, many are praising the supposedly deep, revelatory social commentary on the nature of class struggle, but I don't find it nearly as profound as is claimed. The overtly sensational, absurd plot if anything detracts from the relatability of a social message, and the storyline (even leaving aside the over-the-top scenes that are exaggerated for cinematic effect) is chock full of innumerable ordinary lapses, discontinuities and implausibilities to the point of distraction. More importantly, the characters are all minimally developed and characteristic of a one-sided view of the world in which people act out their base grievances and fantasies over a veneer of class-determinant normalcy. It strikes me that there is little to no consideration of virtue, even in momentary antithesis. Yet if this is the social revelation then it is a deeply cynical one, and also an implausible one because the world is not so one-sided and simple. For this reason, the film ends up revealing very little realistic insight into the human character or social dynamics. It is not a bad film as it is well executed and clever in its emotional manipulation, but I am not willing to dole out gushing praise.