Celebrities are expressing their love for the film Parasite, and social media users are lapping up the irony with equal parts frustration and glee.
The award-winning movie is a dark critique of modern society and people across various class standings, but the wealthy family whose fancy home serves as the main setting is unsparingly portrayed as vapid and self-absorbed. The movie also highlights rich people’s perpetuation of violence and inequality.
So it’s pretty ridiculous that wealthy celebrities are openly expressing their love for the film.
On Christmas Eve, Elon Musk tweeted Parasite was his favorite movie of the year. Former President Barack Obama included Parasite in a list of his favorite movies of the year.
“Phew Parasite was so fucking good!!” Chrissy Teigen excitedly tweeted on Jan. 4.
Parasite
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 24, 2019
Phew Parasite was so fucking good!!
— chrissy teigen (@chrissyteigen) January 4, 2020
Many on Twitter were confused at these rich people’s endorsement for a movie with so many jabs at their status. People called out the celebs for their obliviousness, saying it only justified the film’s portrayal of the rich as self-absorbed.
User @bearbeare, for example, replied to Teigen with a meme of Garfield looking at a picture of himself. The caption says, “Huh? I wonder who that’s for?”
https://twitter.com/bearbeare/status/1213576269968953351
“Absolutely ZERO awareness,” @paradisegallows tweeted to Teigen.
https://twitter.com/paradisegallows/status/1213856276171636737
“Yall make me SICK,” user @priyavprabhakar wrote along with screenshots of Musk’s and Teigan’s positive reactions to Parasite.
https://twitter.com/priyavprabhakar/status/1215225971533434880?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1215225971533434880&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailydot.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost-new.php
“I don’t think they actually saw the movie,”@hoedkop suggested.
I don’t think they actually saw the movie
— Deadbeats……ASSEMBLE!!!! (@Hoedkop) January 10, 2020
“That feel when you ask the butler to bring you parasite but they bring the wrong movie so you fire them and just say how much you love it,” joked @AcrwAffair.
That feel when you ask the butler to bring you parasite but they bring the wrong movie so you fire them and just say how much you love it
— Luluth, Glamor Goblin (@AcrwAffair) January 10, 2020
While some argued that members of the upper class are free to enjoy any movie they want, it was @JohnPA598 who nailed the irony.
“People out here trying to be like, ‘just cuz they’re rich they can’t enjoy it??’ No, motherfuckers, the point is they seemingly enjoyed it while also completely missing the entire nearly objective message of the movie, which is not really in favor of their status,” the user explained.
https://twitter.com/JohnPA598/status/1215916191325159424
