One of my best memories from high school is watching “Dirty Dancing” with all my friends on the Friday afternoon before spring break. Between sushi and cupcakes, the 14 of us were transported to 1960s Catskills and taken on Baby and Johnny’s crazy adventure of love, courage, and, of course, dance. We discussed the complex depiction of reproductive rights through Penny’s experience and couldn’t stop laughing at Patrick Swayze’s over-gelled hair. It was so fun to experience that movie together and be able to take something away from it that was important, profound, and, most importantly, enjoyable. That’s what really inspired “Spoiler Alert!”: The community we find through the media we consume.
I loved that we all read “The Great Gatsby” in sophomore year and talked about the crazy antics of Gatsby, Tom, and Daisy together. My best friend, Eliza Cohen ’25, showed me “She’s the Man” and “Mean Girls” on her old DVD player, and now we quote iconic Regina George lines to each other constantly. My Creative Writing Club co-president set aside an entire portion of a presentation on LGBTQ+ figures in modern writing for me to talk about how much I love “Red, White & Royal Blue”—both the movie and the book.
Nowadays, whenever I suggest watching a movie at a sleepover, we always rule out going to the theater, much preferring talking loudly to the fresh popcorn and sour Skittles at Apple Cinemas. “Bridgerton,” “Percy Jackson,” and “Hamilton” have built friendships that I will remember long after Lady Whistledown has put down her pen. As I look back on my reviews of books, movies, and TV shows this year, I think of how media can bring people together.
Movies and TV shows also drive global trends and pop culture, connecting millions, if not billions, of people. Whether in the summer of 2023 with “Barbenheimer,” this year with the iconic Elphaba riff from “Wicked,” or even the newest, biggest SNL sketch, “Domingo,” media trends connect people on a global scale through similar interests. Media is not only a powerful tool for telling stories but also the number one community builder, in my opinion. My one (okay, fine, 15) views of Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl performance contributed to the 133.5 million views worldwide. And “Alvin and the Chipmunks,” a TV series mentioned once off-handedly during Monday long block, finds its way back into my calculus class conversations every couple of weeks. These inspiring characters and stories create meaningful and memorable moments every day.
But now, when I look back on all my favorite books and movies, I will also think of all of you. I’m so happy to hear when you all read my columns and agree (or disagree) with me. I love that I’ve been able to foster fun conversations and debates about all the stories and characters that we love. Thank you so much for reading, and thank you for discussing the newest season of “Ted Lasso” with each other or how it really took Odysseus 20 years to return home. I hope to continue having these conversations with friends, teachers, and family beyond high school. And I hope everyone here can continue to connect with others through a shared love of all these wonderful books, movies, and TV shows.
