Can the adult-child-trope please be over? - Food for thought.

A couple of weeks ago I decided to watch Stand by me - (1986) again. My girlfriend hadn’t seen it yet and I thought she might enjoy it. That’s a lie. I deliberately manipulated her into it cause I felt like watching it again and it did not disappoint, even after so many years. Though brilliant, it did manage to bring up a sore-spot for me. I couldn’t help but recall my viewing-experience of Rim of the world - (2019), a film that had left a bad taste in my mouth. No, it wasn’t the setting, nor was it the story of a group of kids who basically had to save the world, which was ridiculous all on its own, but rather the old adult-child-trope of yesteryear that ruined it. At first I didn’t give it much thought and just assumed I’m being a fan-boy like if it’s not Spielberg at the helm or King with the pen, I’m not interested. But this wasn’t the case either.

Both films, Stand by me and Rim of the world make use of the same trope, so why would one bother me but the other doesn’t? It could’t be nostalgia or the differences in genre, as I equally enjoyed Super 8 – (2011). Well, the answer is pretty simple. It turned out I strongly disliked the adult-child-trope played-out in Rim of the world. I found them exaggerated, almost as though the film had been written many years ago and the characters had to be adjusted to fit in with “the times”, whatever that meant. The jokes were too risqué, the profanity way over the top and the storyline was, in my opinion, completely unbelievable, even for a sci-fi adventure. The nodes and arcs might’ve hit exactly where they were supposed but felt as though the filmmakers/writers were so scared you might miss it that they just went ahead and shoved it in your face. What is supposed to be a relaxing, guided stroll along the story-banks of a film, turned into a predictable melodrama-fest of in-your-face clichés.

But what’s the solution? Well, I would argue that if the pendulum hasn’t swung back just yet, it’s certainly on its way. So, to all the would-be writers out there, here’s some free advice. If you wanna write the adult-child-trope film of tomorrow then go old-school. In fact, go prehistoric! Write characters that are wholesome. Make “butthole” a word that could seriously get them into trouble. Have the humor be innocent and appropriate, rather than just vulgar and on the nose. Keep the story grounded and close to home. Have them face challenges that don’t end in them having to save the planet or universe but rather their family home, street, school or maybe just their one-horse town if you really wanna push things. Even better would be a slice-of-life tale with three or four friends from a small mid-western town. Whatever you do, keep it small.

Anyways, just some food for thought is all…

17/03/2021 – 19:10