ROJ-602: “The People vs. One Battle After Another” with Adam Kotsko

For those of you unfamiliar with our court proceedings, we are here to determine if this film is guilty of being a bad movie.

As always in this courtroom, films are to be considered excellent until proven awful, and the burden of proof lies upon the prosecution to prove beyond a shadow of a reasonable doubt that this film is guilty.

Mr. Adam Kotzko, you are representing the prosecution.

You may present your opening statement.

My basic thesis on One Battle After Another is that it is a hot mess.

There's a lot that's cool about it.

There's a lot that carries you along.

I'm sure I would have enjoyed watching it on an airplane.

But it is presented as a major political statement, and as such, it is completely incoherent.

The political aspect seems to be almost decorative in some cases.

There's no sympathy with why these people are engaged in politics and what they're supposed to be trying to achieve.

And as a result, the ending just kind of goes nowhere.

If anything, the movie has more sympathy for Lockjaw's character in his quest to join the Christmas Adventure Club than it does for the radicals who help Leonardo DiCaprio along his way.

Overall, I think that this is a movie that was made by a director who thinks he is smarter than he is.

It fatally overreached and winds up not saying much of anything at

all.

That's my report

card throughout

most of high school.

Thank you, Mr. Costco.

Appearing on behalf of the defense is Mr.

What was the fucking password, by the way? Ryan Luis Rodriguez.

Please present your opening statement.

Yeah, yeah.

regardless of what the prosecution is saying.