SSC – Google

Ok, I get the underlying message of class warfare. So I’ll address that in a second. I think where it loses its pizazz is a couple failed comedic attempts, subpar acting, and a flat out copy of the identical underworld “multiverse” “upside down” (D&D, Stranger Things). So, I guess if you can get past that, then it’s entertaining enough, though not actually scary. I predicted the ending less than half way through, knowing they were switched. Anyway, the good news is, the theory that even though she was actually tethered, she had the benefit of subsequently living in the privileged world. In doing so, she formed family attachments and did what any mother would do for her family. That she is a tethered does not make the children any less hers because the tethered are human. They are subjugated alternate mirror people, not aliens or zombies. So, honestly, it was ok. I suppose it begs the age old question, could the worst representatives of humanity have been different/better people if their circumstances were different? My answer to this question is that the Lord is all powerful, all knowing, and all merciful. Whatever thought these kinds of concepts are meant to evoke, if we strived to live more like Jesus, we would never have to ask the question.

I really want to give this 5 stars for the comedy. This movie comes on strong, especially if you are even a mediocre Broadway buff. It’s almost my favorite thing to laugh obnoxiously at a joke that only I understand. The songs are mostly very funny this way, but they are not going to be the songs you catch yourself singing tomorrow. I’m not sure if the writers tried to accomplish this or not, but even so, very entertaining nonetheless. The Andrew Rannells number in the mall was pretty great, because it obviously points out hypocrisy, but even in the beginning when Streep dropped the line that she hadn’t yet bothered to find out what all the letters of LGBTQ stood for was equally great for the same reason. Celebrities are opportunistic cause junkies. They exploit people to look good, and I’m glad this movie acknowledges that. The only unfortunate thing is the duration. It drags the drama and becomes unconvincing. That Emma got an apology from all the cool kids in the end, I feel like maybe that was over the sticky sweet top. A happily ever after doesn’t need to reflect that everyone likes her, just that the people who matter accept her. Not trying to give spoilers, just being honest about dramatic part of the plot. Otherwise, from a comical songwriting standpoint, it was good.

I’m being generous with three stars. I get that Suzette produced this, and who would know better than she to tell a much more in depth story line, but I only watched all episodes out of sheer allegiance to fandom. It wasn’t very good. The acting was mediocre, and the wigs/hair extensions were poorly done. It’s distracting. If I never saw the movie, if I never knew the story, if I was a twenty year old Gen Z curious about why my mother loved their music and obviously her voice, I would stop watching this after episode two. I’m sorry. I won’t be watching a second season. I want the J-Lo movie back up on cable, and the Houston Astrodome concert right behind it, Bandaid and all.

Waited to see this movie for a while. I’m glad I did. The historic value is definitely fantastic, even if the storyline is embellished for the sake of storytelling, which honestly fell short at times, only because the personal lives portion did not translate as believable or as interesting as the NASA storyline. It seemed a failed attempt to create depth to the characters, when it just wasn’t necessary. Just my opinion.

It had promise on a basic storyline basis, but there was so much more they could have done with the ending. The whole purpose of life? “Now you know what to do with it.” No, no I don’t, not after watching that movie. I felt no such epiphany. It basically was a Big Bang validation film which of course is only a theory. It would have been way better as an intelligent life theory. It pretended to have a build up to a meaning of life of some sort, and then nothing. The good news is I never have to watch it again.