Film critic Richard Brody is known for his thoughtful reviews in The New Yorker, but his write-up of Luca Guadagnino’s latest film definitely left something to be desired: Richard Brody’s review of Challengers just says it’s a 23.6 on something called the ‘BrodyMeter’ and adds that it pairs well with a fat blunt.
Huh. Nothing else you wanna add, Brody?
Although much could be said about Challengers, the new film starring Zendaya, Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist in a psychosexual love triangle set in the high-stakes world of professional tennis, Richard Brody chose to forgo analyzing any of the film’s themes or stylistic choices and opted instead to rate it according to an indecipherable system of his own design. “Challengers is a 23.6 on the BrodyMeter,” wrote Brody, adding that “some scenes were more of a 58.5,” which again, means absolutely nothing to anyone but Brody himself. The review then concludes by directing viewers to “watch it with a fat blunt!”—a statement that some believe means the review is favorable, citing the exclamation point as proof that Brody found the film enjoyable. Still, readers who were hoping to find an insightful piece of criticism have come up empty, particularly because the film’s intense athletic scenes and pulsing score do not even pair particularly well with a fat blunt.
Hm. Seems like The New Yorker doesn’t have a minimum word count, or else something like this wouldn’t end up in print. Here’s hoping that if Brody’s going to continue using the “BrodyMeter” he’ll at least give a definition next time.
