Movie of the Year: 2020 – Promising Young Woman

Movie of the Year: 2020

Promising Young Woman

The Taste Buds discuss 2020’s most promising young movie, Promising Young Woman!

The Taste Buds were so upset by the movie Promising Young Woman that we had to ask new friend Kate* to help us process it. You will probably feel every feeling when you watch this movie. There are scenes in this movie where your laughter and sadness and horror break upon you like waves in a set, and you are bowled over and left reeling. It’s not that this movie is perfect — which, Ryan assures us throughout, it is not — but it is just great in almost every single way a movie can be. It looks great, the sound track is amazing, Bo Burnham is in it. Also, it’s profoundly upsetting!

Note: Kate is not fully processing her dawning awareness of being too good for us.

Promises made, promises kept

I’m sitting here writing this and just thinking about how good this movie is. When I first saw the preview. I was like, “I want to see this.” And I had no idea what it was really, but it turns out I was totally right: it’s a great movie. Usually when we do a year on this show, we have decades of cultural conversation to help us contextualize everything, but with a movie that just came out you wonder more about its legacy because the whole thing stretches out before you. I dunno this movie just feels important with maybe even a capital I.  

Emerald Fennell

You still have a little time here to “get in early” on Fennell. I think there is a closing window there where you could come off as being the first in your group to really bring her up. Not for me with friggin Ryan and Kate but you could still be the first person you know to go, “Oh, you should check her out; she’s rad,” and seem like you have great taste.

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