Chappaquiddick, in theaters now.
I hate to be that sort of grad student who is constantly claiming "I have no life; my dissertation is my life!" but yea, that's where I am at because there's a pandemic and not much for me to do except write the damn thing. Today I was working on the chapter where I use Michelle Wolf's 2018 Correspondent's Dinner remarks, and it made me remember WHY am I excited about my topic and a source of gratitude and how I am currently getting paid (not much) to do research on this.
This cultural event also inspired me to write about my topic, when I had a list of other ideas (one involved Northern Explosure, I don't want to talk about it) that I felt lukewarm about. But when I saw this, something clicked- there was something so weird about it, so exciting, so culturally jarring, that I had to pick it apart until it has no meaning like any good dissertation would.
I love this roast (yes it's a roast, read my work) because of how chaotic the performance is. Michelle is is incredibly nervous at times, but other times, delivers a glorious blow. Bonus points for reaction shots from Kellyanne Conway and Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Sometimes her jokes don't land, and she knows it. But she soldiers on. It's awkward, groundbreaking, fascinating, and quite frankly, at parts, hilarious. Give it a watch if you never have or its been a while. And then read my book in 2036.
