THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF HOLLYWOOD:
Like a bad movie, the Zohran Mamdani mania continues. Youth turnout in the New York mayoral primary was up big, and polling shows that 4 out of 5 of them voted for the “democratic socialist.” As did nearly half of women. None, it appears, have ever cracked a history book. A recent Cato Institute/YouGov poll shows almost two-thirds of Americans under 30 have a favorable view of socialism. As Ryan Reynolds’s character in the 2004 “Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle” asks, “But why?”
One answer is that socialism is glorified in movies. Look no further than this summer’s “Jurassic World Rebirth.” Pharmaceutical executive Martin Krebs (Rupert Friend) risks his life and capital to develop a heart drug, Paleodioxin, that will extend human life by 20 years. And he’s the bad guy!
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In many movies, markets are corrupt—see “Wall Street” (1987), “The Wolf of Wall Street” (2013) and “Trading Places” (1983). And entrepreneurs are doofuses: “The Social Network” (2010).
The rare pro-business movie that comes to mind is about a group of private-sector entrepreneurs who flaunt their credentials—“Back off, man, I’m a scientist”—to hold off pushy government regulators and save the world. Yes, I’m calling “Ghostbusters” (1984). Add “The Founder” (2016) about Ray Kroc, “Joy” (2015) about a family business dynasty and “The Pursuit of Happyness” (2006) about a homeless entrepreneur. There aren’t many others.
I enjoyed “Joker” (2019) despite its obvious preaching about awful societal conditions created by capitalism. I’ll even admit to liking most of these films, but when I inevitably spot Hollywood’s “capitalism bad, socialism good” message, I impulsively laugh out loud. Try it.
Exit quote: “Karl Marx isn’t a superhero. We just want to be entertained, not lectured to. Stop the capitalism-is-kaput charade and convincing young voters that socialism is good for anything beyond ruining whatever it touches. Maybe it’s time for an ‘Escape From New York’ (1981) remake.”
Escape From New York came rather late in the “New York as dystopian hellhole” cycle of moviemaking. But if Mamdani wins, he could be the catalyst for a whole host of remakes of that genre of films, such as Death Wish, The Taking of Pelham 1,2,3, The Panic in Needle Park, Taxi Driver and The Warriors.
Ironically, one of the few Hollywood films in which the capitalist zillionaire is the unalloyed good guy predicted his rise:
UPDATE: It’s worth flashing back to the Substack essay that “George MF Washington” wrote at the beginning of the month on “Hollywood’s Political Morality Police — How the entertainment press enforces Progressive orthodoxy in the movie business,” as the trade publications help to ensure that the company town’s product doesn’t stray from a orthodox leftist worldview.