Hollywood let us down this summer.
Where was the blockbuster hit that preoccupied us? Where was the “Jaws,” the “ET” or the “Ghostbusters” of 2015?
Instead, we got Donald Trump. Again.
I want my money back.
I find it amazing that people are using words like “refreshing” to describe The Donald’s latest fling with a White House run. Trump’s shtick has to be the most overplayed in America, yet people are still falling for it.
Maybe we’re that bored. Or maybe it’s this summer’s topic choices: Trump, fetal tissue sales or beheadings by the Islamic State group.
The big question on beach towels now is whether Trump’s candidacy is for real. Of course it’s not — we all know that.
This is Donald Trump we’re talking about. The same Trump who’s been running for president since 1988 without having anything constructive to say. But where’s the fun in stating the obvious?
I watched a Trump speech on YouTube last week, feeling pretty stupid all the while. It was 30-some-odd-minutes of my life I knew I’d never get back. But I was being asked about his talk on a TV show that night, so I forced myself to watch it.
Trump has to be one of the great straight-man entertainers of all times, and he actually made me laugh. He’s everything our mothers taught us not to be: crass, conceited, boastful, rude, hyperbolic — without ever breaking character. Seen in the right light, it can be quite hilarious. He’s a little Jackie Mason, a touch Denis Leary and a lot Andrew Dice Clay.
But a serious political figure?
C’mon.
I was at Target the other night when I heard and saw relief on the way. A toddler zipped by me on a scooter that played “Snoopy’s Revenge” at it rolled. Then I saw a rack of T-shirts being set up featuring the whole Peanuts gang. “The Peanuts Movie” doesn’t open ’til November, but Hollywood’s clearly getting ready for a big bang.
It’s a long way between now and Thanksgiving, but I guarantee you we won’t be talking about The Donald then. It’ll be Snoopy mania 24/7, with maybe a small break for us to laugh at all the silliness from the summer of 2015.
