A Guide to Child Culture for Adults Out of Touch With Reality: Is the Mario Movie Really… Good?

This week’s Out of Touch Adult Guide takes a look at two of the main forces shaping the lives of young people in America in 2023: corporate culture like Super Mario Bros. Movie and Barbie , and mass displays of general humanity such as TikTok’s “mouse moments”. and was shot in the stomach while making pranks on YouTube. Plus: “secret menus” in fast food restaurants, a blow to individualism in the corporate web.

The Super Mario Bros. movie is apparently either love or hate.

On Wednesday , Super Mario Bros. was released nationwide to mixed but interesting reactions. Critics underwhelm: The animated film holds a 53% on Rotten Tomatoes . But ordinary people seem to be loving it: The animated film has a 96% audience and is projected to make over $140 million over the holiday weekend.

This quote from Boston Globe critic Audie Henderson’s 1-1/2-star rating sums up moviegoers’ opinion: “ It’s not a movie; it’s a checklist of what fans have to expect .” Where online fan raves are more like “This is not a movie; it’s a checklist of fan expectations! ”

In other words, if you are a Mario fan, you will feel catered for. The movie is faithful in every way except for Mario’s voice , and you’ll eat as many Nintendo Easter eggs as you can stomach – as long as you have the appetite to appreciate the looks of obscure characters like Mario and Luigi’s boss. Spike, originally from the 1984 Wrecking Crew . If you are not a fan, it will be a long 2 minutes to look into your phone.

Slang clock: what are “mouse moments”?

According to TikTok, if you steal a few minutes during the day to have a quiet snack, you have a “mouse moment”. Inspired by this clip from the British animated show Creature Comforts , in which a cartoon mouse spends his time quietly eating, the trend points to the recognition of tiny moments of self-care and our shared experience as biological beings that must consume nutrients in order to live.

A video tagged ” mousemoment t” has been viewed almost 100 million times on the platform and this is my newest obsession. It’s so comforting and touching to watch other people eat alone, especially when snacking is accompanied by a mournful piano score and screen credits to give viewers some context . This is a little sad, but also encouraging, because we are all in this together, and what is life, if not a series of mouse moments ? I think I might start crying .

TikTok loves secret fast food menus

Judging by the billion or so views of the #secretmenu hashtag, TikTok users are excited about special orders from fast food outlets and coffee chains. Examples include this mixture of neon flowers, berries and dragon fruit that you can get at Starbucks, the questionable “life hack” for a free ice cream cookie sandwich that you can’t get at Chick-fil-A, and the ” secret dog menu “. in In-n-Out (“puppy pie” exists, but it’s not free, as the video suggests).

I understand the illicit excitement of ordering something you “shouldn’t” order, the pleasure of being a quasi-insider and separating yourself from the masses of lumpen and their requests for venti latte. But, as many commentators point out, this can be a headache for people who actually have to cook their meals. A barista at Starbucks might not actually want to make a 15-ingredient coffee/stew, even if the “corporation” says they should. (Speaking of corporate events, this probably doesn’t bother the people who own these networks—that “square burrito” video has been viewed 20 million times, and I’m sure Chipotle doesn’t mind free publicity.)

Youtuber shoots himself while making a prank video

Internet fame is not without its dangers. In a story that seems to be 10 years too late, video creator Tanner Cooke was shot in the stomach this week while filming a prank video. Cook, a member of the Classified Goons on YouTube and TikTok , was creating some undeniably hilarious content at the Dulles Town Center mall near Washington, D.C. when the shooting took place. Police charged 31-year-old Alan Coley with aggravated malicious injury, using a firearm in the commission of a felony, and firing a firearm in a building.

“I played a prank and a simple prank and this guy didn’t take it very well,” Cooke said from his hospital bed . The YouTuber promised to keep making videos as he recovered from his injuries and told the world, “I’m fine.”

As for the video itself, it’s now evidence, so we won’t be able to see it for a while, and Cook didn’t describe the nature of the “prank” that led to the shooting.

Viral Video of the Week: New Barbie Trailer Released

I couldn’t be further from the obvious target market for Barbie – I’m not a little girl and I’m not the father of a little girl – but I want to see this movie more than any other. I’m apparently not alone because the second teaser trailer is exploding with 10 million views in just two days. Unlike Super Mario Bros. Movie , Barbie’s expanded universe doesn’t have a lot of plot twists or complex lore to contend with. Instead, Barbie is 100% vibrating. It’s all neon rollerblades, smooth plastic, and everything is pink. Judging by the trailer, the feeling of Barbie is conveyed. Like The Lego Movie before it, Barbie (directed by Oscar-nominated Greta Gerwig, written by Gerwig and her personal Ken, filmmaker Noah Baumbach) seems to long for an affectionate yet self-aware environment, something that the kids who play with the dolls will love it, but it will still be fun for the parents who bring them to the theatres. It remains to be seen if the white teeth and pink everything can withstand the feature, but either way , we’ll probably be flooded with memes until Barbie hits theaters on July 21st.