I was recently a guest on the Unwatchables podcast, discussing David Cronenberg. One of the young hosts took issue with Goldblum’s character in The Fly, saying that he was a typical self-aggrandizing nerd. While he didn’t use the words “toxic” or “problematic,” the subtext was there.
I had read that Gen Z was more sensitive than previous generations, but this was the first time I was confronted by it directly. We eventually came to a truce, but the issue was on my mind again as I revisited Todd Solondz’s Happiness. (Now on Criterion 4k.)
Happiness was an important movie for me in college. My first film professor recommended it to me after watching one of my shorts. As a kid raised on mainstream comedies, the film was a shock to my system.
I’ll never forget renting it and returning to class the following week.
“What did you think?” my professor asked.
”Well,” I said quietly, “I’m not sure if I should admit to this, but I really liked it.”
Todd Solondz ended up being a seismic force in my life. His films gave me the courage to be weird and dark. But there’s also an empathy, a nonjudgmental quality I admire. It’s sometimes at odds with the comedy, but that makes it all the more interesting.
Honestly, I’m not sure my short TUB exists if I didn’t see Phillip Seymore Hoffman do…that.
Watching the film again, I realized that Solondz’s influence is still in my bloodstream. My book Situation Nowhere features a cast of characters known as “The Brotherhood of the Resigned”—people who’ve been “canceled” and now live underground as social pariahs. They’re funny, tragic, and problematic, and readers across the board have loved them. I have Todd Solondz to thank.
There’s been so many think pieces about the sensitivity of younger generations. And yeah, sometimes I’m guilty of wanting to say, “Get off my lawn!” But, ultimately, who cares? Stoking artificial conflicts between generations feels so petty and exhausting.
Sure. Maybe a new generation might be repelled by Solondz. Or even Cronenberg.
But isn’t that great? Isn’t it wonderful to re-evaluate and discuss an artist’s work?
At the end of the day, isn’t that conversation the whole point?