Cuck

I had mixed feelings about this film--it's well-made and has some important things on its mind, but also just tries to cram too many talking-points in, to the end result that the storytelling is only semi-plausible. It would have been better as a shorter film without quite SO many curveballs thrown the protagonist's way. He doesn't need to embody every characteristic that someone like him MIGHT have, or every obstacle he might experience.

But I was driven to review mostly by the ridiculous number of obvious trolls here voting the lowest they can while obviously not having seen the film. Are alt-right types so scared of unflattering fictional depictions that they need to pile on public forums like this just to frantically discourage other people from seeing those depictions? Well of course they are. How pathetic. I mean, at least you people might have done your homework and read a few reviews so you could more convincingly pretend to have actually seen "Cuck" and had some real basis for criticizing its content. But then, you folk aren't exactly renowned for being very bright. You're as obvious as Scientologists posing as indignant Average Joes to scream bloody murder at any Scientology expose. All you do is underline the film's depiction of alt-right incel types as whiny, paranoid mom's-basement dwellers who are obsessed with "masculinity" yet have the tantrum-prone emotions of 5-year-olds.

You know what actual grownups are self-confident enough NOT to do? "Review" films they haven't seen, because they're afraid others might see that film and learn it's a little too accurate a portrait.

Whoever said this movie was funny has a twisted sense of humor because this is one of the more depressing movies of 2019 I've seen. I enjoy dark comedies and would have preferred Cuck to be that, it is not.

I don't feel like this movie is as profound as it leads itself to believe as it was most likely written through the lens of someone who is an outsider to many of the ideologies they are trying to portray. Sometimes it comes off as petty with how bad the movie wants you to react to Ronnie's character and certain scenes feel more convenient to the narrative the film is trying to spin as opposed to plausible (a date Ronnie has in the film and a scene were Ronnie is washing a parking lot come to mind.)

That being said, this movie isn't completely terrible; the cinematography, performances, and soundtrack are all satisfactory. However, once you scratch beneath the surface this movie feels empty and it's themes are there for shock purposes. The formula of Cuck is very similar to films like Taxi Driver or Falling Down except with the obvious political twist, which they milk hard. I feel like the intention of this movie is to further divide people instead of trying to create civil discussion.

This ridiculous movie is just some rabid leftist's own personal issues being projected on others. It's utter nonsense from a deeply troubled person living completely out of touch with reality.

This film is a character study of an alt-right man that's a sexist, gun obessed incel that lives in his mother's basement. He takes life far too seriously and blames everyone else for his failures including left of center politics, women and especially immigrants and minorities.

This movie seems to want to ridicule people that are on the right, or at least trigger them, and vilify them as little better than psychopaths wound up by a ocean of online hatred. When dealing with this thorny subject it would be much better to attempt to analyse why the world has become so polarized, as to why these people blame so many others for their lack of social and economic mobility and how they are so bound up in a internet opinion echo chamber seige mentality of hate. Instead of finger point and laugh and condemn, it's far better to try to understand and discuss.

Even though the movie does not offer any real insights or understanding on a political or social level the acting and direction are all beyond satisfactory. Worth a watch and good for sparking discussion, but I'm not sure what this movie is really trying to achieve, so I feel it's somewhat exploitative. If there was a resolution in which the protagonist was able to come to a new outlook as American History X it would be a more deserving piece of cinema. I worry this work will harden divides instead of soften them.

This movie is written from a point of view that tries to pass off as sympathetic but at its core this movie is a 'hate letter' to the 4\8chan and incel culture, this movie is not a character study, it claims to try to show how a sad lonely kid can get radicalized through exposure to far right rhetoric online but almost everything that happens in the movie is so outlandish that you really can't take it seriously.

Ultimately, this movie is written form a leftist perspective and it tries to color trump supporters as 'cucks', without a shred of self awareness about the whole ordeal, the movie takes itself very seriously.

But really, beyond the hamfisted politics it's not a terrible movie worthy of a 1 star review.