Hot Air

Steve Coogan's conservative talk show character is portrayed as intelligent, clever, and witty. Yes, he's also an angry schmuck, but he's definitely not a "cartoon" or a two-dimensional character. Interestingly, the liberal protestor character who winds up on Coogan's talk radio show is portrayed as a genuine dolt; you would think the conservative folks with the one-star "reviews" would have loved that, but that would require some thinking on their part. They are here just to bash the film, no matter how nuanced it is. Is it a great film? No, the script is quite flawed in spots, not the least of which is a cringe-worthy cornball ending, but overall it is a decent film. Coogan is superb (no surprise there) and most of the other performances are excellent. The speech Coogan's character delivers at the end of his TV appearance is scathing and pretty much spot on about today's culture and society. Again, you would think the "conservatives" would love it, but they only love attacks presented in black and white; if they are included in the critique, then the entire thing must be some "liberal propaganda" garbage. That's the reactionary, oh excuse me, "conservative" way.

***Hot Air is really about a 6 star film, but I upped my rating to offset the bashing from the snowflake reactionaries.

The parallels in Hot Air to our current administration are striking and painfully clear, making this a bold and courageous film. Surely there are plenty of people on the conservative right who will see their reflection in Steve Coogan's character. The filmmakers knew this but were steadfast in making their proclamation to the world about their beliefs. In my mind that is entirely commendable and demonstrates integrity to the highest degree.

At one point Neve's character says, "They just want to see you burn the house down." That's exactly what I felt when Trump was elected. He's not the only bad apple in Washington, there are tons more and I secretly hoped that he'd bring the entire regime--that which we call the Corporatocracy--down with him so we can start over from the beginning and build something that's actually sustainable. Imo, Trump and every President in recent memory before him only served to uphold the antiquated systems that continue to divide the country. Trump is a morally bankrupt figurehead--that much is obvious. But his antics are a mere distraction from the real problem of the ever-burgeoning health and income inequality. And everyone seems to take the bait every time he feeds it to the media.

That said, I somehow wish Hot Air came out two years ago while the talk of impeachment was strong. I believe it would have been even more polarizing then, which would've been a great thing for America, imho. Sad to say but I feel like America (or maybe just NYC where I live) has checked out of politics. Or maybe I live in a bubble in my wellness community. No one I know ever talks about anything remotely related to politics anymore unless it's about Andrew Yang, UBI, and automation. That seems to be the stuff that's on the forefront of intellectuals these days.

But overall, I thought the pacing was great and the soundtrack was fun! The cast did really well in their roles. Neve looks as great as ever and I loved the chemistry between her and Russie. I'm sure Russie will go on to do great things! I'm not sure if I ever felt anything positive for Steve's character, but the Asian guy was hilarious!

Watch this film!

That the Coogan character's searing indictment of aspects of modern American life might not go down so well with some viewers and reviewers, regardless of their political persuasion, kinda proves his point.

The main character used to do a show in Britain were he was an old radio guy, and it was pretty darn funny. So now I'll watch anything with him in it.

I gave this film a 7 & that's fair.

This film is a good old-fashioned, feet up, Sunday afternoon popcorn munching watch.

It's sweet.

Everyone involved does their job.

This film deserves better than its current middle of the road rating. I can only imagine it has gathered some negative ratings due to some perceiving this film as having elements that attack the American right? I dunno?

Overall, I think this is a story about human connections & how those genuine connections can have an affect.

If anything, I believe this film highlights the folly of disconnect masquerading as genuine human interaction; regardless of political stance.