From my Venice Film Festival dispatch dated 09.08.21:
“An interesting idea gone haywire, “Mainstream” is director Gia Coppola’s social media satire, but instead of giving us an original perspective on the state of viral culture in 2020, we’re left with blanks. Nothing new is said in this remarkably trite examination of internet fame, but it does introduce us to Andrew Garfield’s “No One Special,” yes that’s his name, one of the most selfish, unlikable, and downright repulsive on-screen characters in quite some time. Maya Hawke’s Frankie quits her bartending job because she sees potential in this maniac, deciding to manage his image, and open a YouTube channel. For some reason, he becomes an overnight sensation thanks to his outrageously honest and eccentric personality. Is it such a surprise then that, as the film painstakingly chugs along, his narcissism grows larger with every video gone viral? Of course not. A monster is created and we would like nothing more than to have Coppola kill him off halfway through the movie. It never happens. We’re stuck with this douchebag for 90 minutes.”