Critics at Large Live: The Year of the Flop

2024/12/19

Critics at Large | The New Yorker

People

Alexandra Schwartz

Naomi Fry

Vinson Cunningham

Topics

Naomi Fry: 2024年见证了文化和政治领域众多项目的失败，这些失败并非毫无价值，反而提供了宝贵的反思机会。这些失败案例涵盖范围广泛，从电影到政治选举，都未能达到预期目标。然而，这些失败也促使我们重新审视观众与公众人物之间的关系，以及失败背后可能蕴含的积极意义。 Alexandra Schwartz: "失败"的定义并非单纯的失败，而是指那些备受瞩目、预期甚高，最终却以失败告终的事件。例如，民主党在2024年总统选举中的失利，以及凯蒂·佩里新歌的滑铁卢，都符合这一定义。这些失败不仅体现在结果上，更在于其公众性以及由此引发的反思。卡玛拉·哈里斯的竞选失败，虽然令人失望，但她优雅的姿态也值得关注。这提醒我们，失败并非总是以混乱收场，有时也能以一种相对平静的方式结束。 Vinson Cunningham: 弗朗西斯·福特·科波拉的电影《百万都市》是一部典型的“失败”案例，它耗资巨大，却票房惨败。这部电影的失败，不仅在于其商业上的失败，更在于其在公众面前的失败，以及由此引发的嘲讽和反思。然而，这部电影的失败也并非毫无价值，它体现了艺术家的雄心壮志，以及他们对艺术创作的执着追求。

Deep Dive

Key Insights

What is the significance of 2024 being declared 'the year of the flop'?

2024 saw numerous high-profile failures across various fields, from Francis Ford Coppola's 'Megalopolis' to the Yankees' disappointing World Series performance and Kamala Harris's loss in the election. These flops, despite high expectations, revealed insights into audience behavior and the surprising potential for growth after failure.

What is the definition of a 'flop' according to the podcast?

A flop is a failure that involves high expectations, public spectacle, and often a sense of bigness or ambition. It differs from a fizzle, which is a quiet failure without the same level of public attention or buildup.

What was the flop of the year in the world of film according to the podcast?

Francis Ford Coppola's 'Megalopolis' was the film flop of the year. The movie, which cost $140 million to make, was a decades-long passion project that failed to meet expectations, both critically and commercially, sparking widespread schadenfreude.

How did the Yankees' performance in the 2024 World Series exemplify a flop?

The Yankees, a storied baseball team, went to the World Series with high hopes but failed to win a single game, resulting in a public spectacle of embarrassment televised nationally.

What was the political flop of 2024 discussed in the podcast?

The 2024 election, where Kamala Harris lost to Donald Trump, was considered a flop. The campaign was marked by high expectations and a narrative of Harris as a protagonist to defeat Trump, but it ultimately failed to deliver.

What was Katy Perry's flop of the year according to the podcast?

Katy Perry's single 'Woman's World' and its accompanying music video were widely mocked as a flop. The song was seen as out of step with contemporary cultural trends and was criticized for its tone-deaf girl boss anthem theme.

What are the surprising upsides to a flop, according to the podcast?

Flops can lead to flexibility and resilience in artists. The experience of failure can free creators from the fear of not succeeding, allowing them to take more risks and potentially achieve greater success in the future.

How does the podcast explain the rise of flops in modern culture?

The rise of flops is linked to the increasing quantification of success and the growing role of fandom in culture. The more sharply defined expectations are, the more visible and drastic the drop in popularity becomes when something flops.

What example does the podcast give of a near-flop that became a classic?

Herman Melville's 'Moby-Dick' was initially a commercial disaster but has since been recognized as a classic. The book's failure at the time is now seen as part of its enduring appeal and cultural significance.

What does the podcast suggest about the relationship between flops and fandom?

Flops can deeply affect fandom, as the success or failure of an artist becomes intertwined with the identity of the fan. The humiliation of a flop can fuel resentment and create a sense of shared rejection between the artist and the fan.

Chapters

The hosts discuss the definition of a "flop", highlighting the role of pre-existing expectations and the public nature of the failure. They use examples like the New York Yankees' World Series performance and the HBO show *Industry*'s Lumi Industries storyline to illustrate different aspects of a flop.

A flop requires pre-existing high expectations.
Public spectacle is a key component.
The difference between a flop and a fizzle is discussed.

Shownotes Transcript

This year, high-profile failures abounded. Take, for example, Francis Ford Coppola’s passion project “Megalopolis,” which cost a hundred and forty million dollars to make—and brought in less than ten per cent of that at the box office. And what was Kamala Harris’s loss to Donald Trump but a fiasco of the highest order? On this episode of Critics at Large, recorded live at Condé Nast’s offices at One World Trade Center, Vinson Cunningham, Naomi Fry, and Alexandra Schwartz pronounce 2024 “the year of the flop,” and draw on a range of recent examples—from the Yankees’ disappointing performance at the World Series to Katy Perry’s near-universally mocked music video for “Woman’s World”—to anatomize the phenomenon. What are the constituent parts of a flop, and what might these missteps reveal about the relationship between audiences and public figures today? The hosts also consider the surprising upsides to such categorical failures. “In some ways, always succeeding for an artist is a problem . . . because I think you retain fear,” Schwartz says. “If you can get through it, there really can be something on the other side.”

Read, watch, and listen with the critics:

HBO’s “Industry” (2020–) The 2024 World SeriesThe 2024 Election“Megalopolis)” (2024)“Woman’s World),” by Katy Perry“ ‘Woman’s World’ Track Review),” by Shaad D’Souza (Pitchfork)“Charli XCX, Chappell Roan, and the Unstable Hierarchy of Pop)” (The New Yorker)“Tarot, Tech, and Our Age of Magical Thinking)” (The New Yorker)“Kendrick Lamar, Drake, and the Benefits of Beef)” (The New Yorker)“Am I Racist?)” (2024)“Horizon: An American Saga—Chapter 1)” (2024)“Apocalypse Now)” (1979)“Madame Web” (2024)“The Great Gatsby),” by F. Scott FitzgeraldFugees“Moby-Dick),” by Herman Melville“NYC Prep” (2009)“Princesses: Long Island” (2013)

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