‘Simpsons’-Endorsed Rom-Com Inspires Ironic Social Media Challenge
This month sees the release of Oscar-winning filmmaker James L. Brooks’ first movie in fifteen years, the political romantic comedy Ella McCay. And while it can’t promise any scenes of jacked-up Smurf aliens battling grizzled military dudes like some other movies coming out this holiday season, it does have the Simpson family in its corner.
As we mentioned recently, the 85-year-old Brooks is seemingly using his Simpsons cred to promote the new movie to the show’s fans, beginning with the release of a short film all about Lisa and Marge’s conspicuously over-the-top Ella McCay fandom.
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And if that weren’t enough, The Simpsons social media account also shared a video of Julie Kavner – the voice of Marge and part of the Ella McCay cast – hyping the movie while claiming that the two apparently wildly dissimilar projects are actually very much alike.
Ella McCay may end up needing that Simpsons bump, since early reactions have described it as “brutal,” “baffling,” and “incomprehensible.”
But at least it's inspired some fun memes, including the irony-laden #EllaMcCayChallenge, in which film lovers, who seem to be keenly aware of the movie’s alleged impending awfulness, attempt to replicate star Emma Mackey's pose from the film's poster art in multiplexes all across the country.
Although, not all movie theaters have been totally supportive of the #EllaMcCayChallenge, it would seem.
Because there is no social media trend that corporations won’t try to exploit for their own financial benefit, it wasn’t long before 20th Century Studios decided to glob onto people’s fun by rating every single Ella McCay challenger on a scale of one to ten.
Even The Simpsons once again stepped up to promote the rom-com, via a video in which an assortment of Springfieldians, including Lisa, Ned Flanders, Moe, Mr. Burns and Homer all mimic Mackey’s awkward footwear adjustment.
The last time the Simpsons worked this hard to convince people to see a movie, they were in it.
