Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s Mr. Corman is a Misguided Attempt to Finger-Wag at White Privilege | TV/Streaming


Also: Could TV shows stop attempting to tackle the millennial experience when they have nothing revelatory to say about it? “Mr. Corman” centers Josh at the middle of one millennial ritual per episode—a one-night stand after meeting at a bar, a road trip with Ruth, a conversation between Josh and Beth about their different religious beliefs, a fight with health care companies and collection agencies—but they all follow a tedious rhythm in which everyone talks at Josh about his feelings, but he never volunteers them himself. Practically every conversation Josh has involves the other person bemoaning his cynicism and pessimism, but that dynamic gets old fast when Josh as a character seems like an amalgamation of Twitter cliches about 30somethings. A flaw of Gordon-Levitt’s performance is that his emotions and the show’s dialogue never seem in sync: sometimes he’s too venomous for innocuous lines; sometimes he’s too subdued for particularly cruel jabs. The show doesn’t stick to Josh as a misunderstood nice guy or Josh as a low-key asshole, instead jumping between those identities and failing to establish the central character as someone we’re supposed to at least somewhat care about.  

Those diverging world views would already be a lot to tackle. But “Mr. Corman” also adds in aggressively twee animated flourishes, whirls Gordon-Levitt around a couple of songs, wastes time with an incredibly facile parallel-universe standalone episode, and builds up to a final-episode reveal that hangs all of Josh’s issues on his white privilege. A noticeable pattern is that nearly every person who criticizes Josh’s woe-is-me attitude is a person of color, most incisively the Korean American Emily (Jamie Chung). In a scene that “Mr. Corman” clearly thinks is allyship, Emily makes a broad generalization about Josh’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic that is not just staggeringly dismissive, but also disrespectful to the people of color for whom the show thinks Emily is speaking. 

Yes, other people have problems, and Josh’s myopia clouds his ability to see the perspective of others. But it’s not like “Mr. Corman” builds out those other people to allow them to exist on their own terms, either. Aside from a single episode focused on Victor (which still uses the show’s “girl or young woman checks an adult man on his privilege” methodology), “Mr. Corman” makes its protagonist woebegone and its female and POC characters into scolds. “The way you see the world, Josh, is the only way it could possibly ever exist,” someone complains, but the problem with “Mr. Corman” is that the perspective of its protagonist doesn’t amount to much. 

First season screened for review. “Mr. Corman” premieres on Apple TV+ on August 6.

You can view the original article HERE.

Justin Baldoni Says He’s Not In the Best Place After Intense Year
Justin Baldoni Says He’s Not In the Best Place After Intense Year
Taylor Swift gets booed, Kendrick Lamar disses Drake — and what was up with that scoreboard? Here are the most viral moments of the night.
Taylor Swift gets booed, Kendrick Lamar disses Drake — and what was up with that scoreboard? Here are the most viral moments of the night.
Travis Kelce Arrives in Style to Super Bowl LIX
Travis Kelce Arrives in Style to Super Bowl LIX
Bianca Censori Body-Shape Requests Soar Post-Grammys, Plastic Surgeon Says
Bianca Censori Body-Shape Requests Soar Post-Grammys, Plastic Surgeon Says
“Anora,” “Shōgun” Win Big with Critics Choice Awards | Festivals & Awards
“Anora,” “Shōgun” Win Big with Critics Choice Awards | Festivals & Awards
The Best Video Game Movie Adaptations, Ranked
The Best Video Game Movie Adaptations, Ranked
James Gunn Brings Superman’s Best Boy Krypto to the Puppy Bowl
James Gunn Brings Superman’s Best Boy Krypto to the Puppy Bowl
Book Excerpt: An Anthony Mann Reader by Scout Tafoya | Features
Book Excerpt: An Anthony Mann Reader by Scout Tafoya | Features
Taylor Swift Fans Seethe at Kendrick Lamar Over Halftime Show
Taylor Swift Fans Seethe at Kendrick Lamar Over Halftime Show
This weekend saw Kanye West hit out at Dave Chappelle and the late Virgil Abloh
This weekend saw Kanye West hit out at Dave Chappelle and the late Virgil Abloh
How Rich Is the ‘Not Like Us’ Rapper Ahead of His Super Bowl Performance?
How Rich Is the ‘Not Like Us’ Rapper Ahead of His Super Bowl Performance?
Ashanti pays tribute to Irv Gotti: “We made history”
Ashanti pays tribute to Irv Gotti: “We made history”
Chiefs’ Hopkins: ‘Are y’all gonna talk about the refs now?’
Chiefs’ Hopkins: ‘Are y’all gonna talk about the refs now?’
Brady needs to be a star in TV gig, not a game manager
Brady needs to be a star in TV gig, not a game manager
Warriors praise Butler after 1st game with Golden State: ‘He’s a lion’
Warriors praise Butler after 1st game with Golden State: ‘He’s a lion’
The History of the NBA All-Star Game: Iconic Moments and Records
The History of the NBA All-Star Game: Iconic Moments and Records
‘Masters of the Universe’ Casts Morena Baccarin, ‘Captain America’ Star in Live-Action Reboot
‘Masters of the Universe’ Casts Morena Baccarin, ‘Captain America’ Star in Live-Action Reboot
Sweet Magnolias: Joanna Garcia Swisher Shares Why Season 4 Was Her Favorite Season For Maddie
Sweet Magnolias: Joanna Garcia Swisher Shares Why Season 4 Was Her Favorite Season For Maddie
Zack Snyder’s Favorite Movie Is One of Liam Neeson’s First
Zack Snyder’s Favorite Movie Is One of Liam Neeson’s First
‘Parthenope’ Star Shares How Gary Oldman Comforted Her
‘Parthenope’ Star Shares How Gary Oldman Comforted Her
Bloomingdale’s and Flamingo Estate’s NYFW Dinner at Casino
Bloomingdale’s and Flamingo Estate’s NYFW Dinner at Casino
The Daily Front Row’s NYFW Issue Has Arrived!!
The Daily Front Row’s NYFW Issue Has Arrived!!
Sally LaPointe Is Ready For Her Next 15 Years In Fashion
Sally LaPointe Is Ready For Her Next 15 Years In Fashion
Catching Up with…. Christian Siriano
Catching Up with…. Christian Siriano