It’s true, undercover sologamist anthem “Thank U, Next” had already been conceptually set up by Ariana Grande as an homage to films of the past (that only serve to further prove how much the film industry has devolved despite being “Harvey-free”) when she first performed it on The Ellen DeGeneres Show as a The First Wives Club appreciation fest. Even so, despite having been well-aware of the continued film tribute motif that Ariana Grande has been teasing for weeks on the ultimate cock tease of all, social media, the final product for the “Thank U, Next” video leaves one feeling as hollow as Ariana must have after all these inutile relationships (despite declaring they were all worthwhile for having learned something from them–bitch, fuck that).
Dredging up many memories of Iggy Azalea’s “Fancy” video for the 2014 track that launched her into brief stratospheric fame, Grande’s video, too, opens with the same font and title cards as the first movie of her choosing to re-create, the highly oversaturated at this point Mean Girls, with the requisite “Ariana Grande in Thank U, Next” screen opening it. The same goes for the Clueless font and title card introducing “Iggy Azalea in Fancy.” At the time (and even still) there appeared to be utterly no point to this shot for shot homage showcasing everything from the tennis court PE scene to the fucking freaked out on the freeway scene. And yet, just as the case with Ariana’s filmic sendup, music video viewers seem to go absolutely apeshit when a movie is presented in a new (read: the same exact) way. In contrast, when one chooses a lesser mainstream movie offering to showcase, the collective ardor is vastly diminished, as evidenced when Azalea would also go on to re-create the Tarantino aesthetic for “Black Widow,” which failed to attract even half as much enthusiasm as the mating call to basics encompassed by Clueless.
Similarly, Grande’s choice of four highly targeted toward a certain kind of millennial early 00s movies speaks to her brand savviness (because remember, we are all brands now, not people), merely giving the masses more of what they want. It’s rather like when one feels obligated to perform a crowd-pleasing song at karaoke instead of an underrated The Smiths track. Then again, as it has been said, each of the four movies, which also include Bring It On, 13 Going on 30 and Legally Blonde, holds a “special place” in Grande’s heart. Because the celebrity heart is always of more value when expressing things than the mere mortal heart that might exude filmic fervor.
What, of course, can’t be denied regarding “Thank U, Next” is that both Kris Jenner and Jennifer Coolidge (who gets into an awkward extended conversation about teeth after Ariana mentions her latest ex had a “big one”–thereby helping Pete Davidson easily rebound) steal the show, Jenner at last fulfilling the role she was born to play as Mrs. George, the overly hovering mother of Regina who so desperately wants to continue living out her faded youth through her simultaneously beloved and hated daughter. Ah, so resonant for Jenner.
Though Azalea’s video is equally as frothy in nature, what can be said in retrospective defense about her homage to teen cinema is that at least it concentrated on one masterpiece of the genre. That Grande has felt compelled to delve into four different avenues is perhaps yet still further proof of how rapidly viewer attention span and concentration ability has decreased. Give them a barrage to quickly digest or nothing at all. Conversely, “Fancy” is a slow and meticulous reconstruction of all of the most important and memorable scenes from Amy Heckerling’s pièce de résistance, except maybe the moments leading up to the illustrious “full-on Monet” comment.
What’s more, Azalea, in conjunction with Britney Spears, also made the commitment to celebrating just one movie, Earth Girls Are Easy, for the premise that established the visual foundation of the unfortunate track, “Pretty Girls.” While, yes, “a bad time capsule,” as first mentioned when it came out, there is something retroactively respectable about a pop singer who dares to focus on one pop culture element when attempting to revive and reinterpret it.
But no matter, like Azalea before her, Grande reveals that a music video doesn’t need to have any bearing whatsoever on the actual thematic content of the song (though one could argue writing in a Burn Book about your exes vaguely qualifies as being pertinent–except when there’s nothing burning about the captions “Could still get it” and “I love u always”). So long as people can see some of their favorite nostalgia triggerers repackaged and repurposed with hotter, younger people (granted, Aaron Samuels is looking a bit rough), the Chicago-sanctioned “razzle dazzle” has been achieved.
