Sohu Entertainment Special Article (Hamai/Text) The success of "Catching the Doll" lies in the fact that it is like a realistic comedy, but it is not a realistic comedy. In essence, it is also a reversal of the cool article that the public likes to see. It shoots the rich in the eyes of the poor and the poor in the eyes of the rich, and this contrast and sense of curiosity in the setting makes the movie conform to commercial logic.
Shuangwen's heart
Looking at the box office list, the movies that have been sold in the past two or three years are basically related to "anxiety". "Disappearing Her" captures women's fear of marriage, behind "All or Nothing" is the fear of fraud of the whole people, "Hot and Hot" was born in the context of body anxiety and weight loss craze, "Article 20" is about "legitimate defense" with frequent unjust cases, and the core of "Learning Dad" and "Catching Dolls" are educational anxiety.
As a movie, judging from the topic selection, "Catching the Doll" has been successful, and it is about things related to the public. As a comedy, because of the landing of the subject matter, its story construction is no longer a castle in the air. Just like "Keep You Safe" talks about "rumors", "The Annual Meeting Can't Stop" talks about "layoffs", and "Catching Dolls" talks about "education", so that it has a foundation of realism, and reality relevance is the foundation of current emotional resonance.
However, in terms of commerciality, "Catching the Doll" is much more "clever and effective" than the realism settings of "Keep You Safe" and "The Annual Meeting Can't Stop", it cleverly borrows the shell of realism, and actually tells a reversal of the cool story full of curiosity - until one day, I didn't know that I was a rich second generation.
No matter how much some fans don't like it, the public still eats this set, and the prediction of a box office of 3.4 billion is convincing enough.
"Catching the Doll" tells the story of a rich man cultivating a successor to capital in a way that is not hard-working, and the audience can accept this setting, which lies in the psychological level, which is the ordinary public's peeping and imagination of the rich people's lives from themselves.
This setting is naturally appealing, and it also ensures that its base plate is large enough. is similar to the audience who love to watch high-rich, handsome, white, rich, and beautiful idol dramas will always be more than the audience who loves to watch hard-working life dramas, the reality is all over the place, who wants to spend money to watch a miserable life?
On the other hand, under the curious setting of "Catching Dolls", a series of subsequent stories are actually middle-class and low-level stories. Obviously, only ordinary people are still obsessed with the college entrance examination as a means to turn over, whether the rich still play this game, whether they play this game in the way of hard learning by chicken babies, and the cases in real life are clear at a glance.
According to the academic interpretation, the comedic effect needs to have the resonance of the audience, and laughter is often produced in a specific social circle or cultural context, which is related to people's understanding of certain common experiences, social common sense or cultural characteristics.
"Catching the Doll" can make the audience laugh, make the audience feel that it is realistic and resonate, precisely because it shoots the educational anxiety of ordinary people, not the real educational anxiety of the rich who are far away from the public.
In terms of grasping the psychology of the public and understanding that "movies are dreams", Yan Fei, Peng Damo and Happy Twist's "Xihong City Trilogy" can be said to be particularly clear. Shen Teng is always living the life of their dreams for middle-aged people, the male protagonist of "Charlotte Troubles" travels through time and space during the mid-life crisis and dreams of returning to campus to become a popular figure, the male protagonist of "The Richest Man in Xihong City" feels the joy of being a rich man when he is downcast and frustrated, and the male protagonist of "Catching the Doll" worries about wealth inheritance and fancy play education when he has a lot of money.
Who doesn't love the spiritual frosting with the right concentration?
Realistic body
The empathy of "Catching the Doll" for many parents is that "I will work hard to become a son in the end, and I pity the hearts of parents all over the world". From ancient times to the present, Chinese parents, no matter how they are educated, have always had the intention of "for your own good".
In ancient times, the imperial examination can be titled on the gold list, and in modern times, the post-50s, post-60s, post-70s, and post-80s have all enjoyed the dividends of academic qualifications, and the fact that it is useful to take the university examination is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and everyone is striving for this practical purpose.
Because of this singular and ultimate purpose, the learner is naturally instrumentalized and neglected as a child's richer needs. For this reason, parents can control you, deceive you, and create a sterile environment, as long as you achieve the goal of getting ahead in a good university.
In this process, if you encounter your child's rebellion and resistance, parents are naturally very aggrieved, we have done so much for you, what else do you want? Just like Shen Teng's father said when his final plan failed, "Do you think we have controlled your life? You've taken control of our lives, too! ”
For children who have suffered from control, suppression, humiliation and other mental violence, although Ma Jiye's experience is not necessarily the same as theirs, the memories such as "let me go to study, don't go to school well in the future, pick up the rags, see who makes you disobedient" and other memories are all inner wounds that cannot be easily erased. In terms of behavior, it is not uncommon for parents to decide what clothes their children wear and what to eat, forcibly break up boyfriends and girlfriends, and even change their children's college entrance examination aspirations.
They are looking at Ma Jiye, and they are also looking at themselves. And Ma Jiye's last rebellion is also the rebellion in their hearts.
In reflecting on the "good for you" education of Chinese parents, deconstructing patriarchy, and opposing "daddy", Cao Baoping's "Wading through the Sea of Anger" started with a cruel tragedy of life, and "Catching a Doll" was amplified again with comedy.
Whether it is a child or an adult, whether it is in study, life, or work, as an independent individual, no one likes to hear "You should do this!" You should do that! "People are anti-"daddy", but they are actually anti-the ubiquitous desire for control.
"Be yourself" is a very contradictory topic, you are yourself, and you have to be yourself? But in Chinese society, this is indeed a proposition.
Fluttering tail
However, unlike the resolute deconstruction and reflection of "Wading through the Sea of Wrath", "Catching the Doll" is more like an exploitation of this topic, and it ultimately did not complete the task of "the core of comedy is tragedy", and chose to avoid it lightly.
Of course, this is safer and more in line with the expectations of the summer family carnival.
The result is that the foreshadowing in front of the film is unloaded, and the intensity of irony and criticism plummets, which also makes the movie lack aftertaste.
Obviously, the creator wants the audience to see that this way of education that controls children's lives is wrong, and the rich also have educational troubles and anxieties.
But in the end, Shuangwen's ending echoes the beginning of Shuangwen, Ma Jiye regained control of his life through a rebellion, went to the university he wanted to go to, had a cheerful personality, a sunny attitude, and self-confidence, and the parent-child relationship was not affected at all. The tuba who was scrapped also lived out by climbing a mountain and became a good man who cheered for his younger brother with mental health.
This seems to show the audience that no matter whether they are rich or poor, no matter how they toss, the rich man's education method is successful, the two sons are very promising, and the psychology is very healthy, so there is nothing wrong with all the absurd and ridiculous life control.
Perhaps, the audience can imagine by themselves, the director is dancing in shackles, such an ending may have another meaning, maybe the two children are gone, Ma Jiye running on the illusory beach is a scene imagined by his parents, and the oxygen extraction after reaching the top is the last breath of the brother, and the fight for the third child is the two laughing on the surface and crying in the heart.
For commercial comedy creators who don't need to be so iron-headed, and are very comfortable with scale, only they know whether they are lifting up.
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