It’s Time To Revisit 'Encanto' — And Those ‘Forgettable’ Songs That Weren’t

Plus: 'Pam & Tommy,' the return of the Tiny Desk Contest, and what's making us happy!

View this email online by Stephen Thompson Welcome! It was the week when Dolly Parton inched ever closer to her way-overdue place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It was the week when Wordle went from “phenomenon” to “acquisition” in the blink of an eye. And it was the week when one of the world’s highest-profile sports stars seemed to be retiring, then maybe wasn’t retiring after all, then retired. Also apparently the Winter Olympics are starting, like, practically right now? Let’s get to it. Opening Argument: It’s Time To Revisit Encanto — And Those ‘Forgettable’ Songs That Weren’t Back in November, I hosted an episode of Pop Culture Happy Hour about the Disney movie Encanto, which I found to be visually lovely and charming but ultimately somewhat minor. Worse, in what would prove to be an absolutely massive time-release self-burn, I declared the songs to be “forgettable” and groaned about the ubiquity of Lin-Manuel Miranda, whose contributions had been splashed across no fewer than five high-profile movies in 2021 alone. (Was I pleased with myself for noting that he might want to take a break; to run away for the summer and perhaps go upstate? Reader, I was.) Naturally, Encanto has become a phenomenon — particularly on the strength of those chart-topping blockbuster songs, which I’d said “fell really flat.” I haven’t seen a reviewer so extravagantly miss an oncoming sensation since a late-’70s edition of Leonard Maltin’s Movie Guide declared that The Rocky Horror Picture Show “fails to excite.” Now, here I was, Mr. Fails-To-Excite, sporting one of his coldest-ever takes. My dear friend and colleague Glen Weldon dubbed me “WILDLY wrong” on Twitter. My DMs — mental note: write an essay titled, “Why Do I Keep My DMs Open Why” — were considerably worse. One of the latest missives popped up just this week and read as follows: “You need to discuss your Encanto slander from November. Number 1 song. Number 1 album. Surprised?” Has it sunk to the level of vitriol we received for disliking Don’t Look Up, in a PCHH episode that compelled at least one person to accuse us of being in the pocket of Big Oil? No, and seriously, as an aside: If you can’t defend a movie you like without hurling accusations of bad faith at those who disagree with you, you’re probably not as righteous as you think you are. ANYWAY. A lot of people hated my take on Encanto, made fun of me for missing the boat on its songs, and have asked me if I’ve reconsidered in the weeks since. Disney So I rewatched Encanto — the first was at a theatrical screening for critics, while the second took place on my couch. On second viewing, the film did feel richer in its characterizations and more nuanced in its messaging about familial obligations, shared secrets, and what a family’s generations owe to each other. The second time around, I was especially struck by the kinetic visuals and the way the family’s magical house both filled the screen with sight gags and lent a sense of motion and rhythm to Encanto’s score. But the songs? Honestly, while they were bound to grow on me simply through multiple exposures, they just… to me, they still don’t feel strong enough to explain their status as a cultural phenomenon. They do an enormous amount of heavy lifting (literally, in the case of “Surface Pressure”) in the areas of character development and, like in “The Family Madrigal,” introduction. “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” and “Surface Pressure” succeed in capturing the downsides of the supernatural “gifts” most Madrigal family members receive, while “Dos Oruguitas” proves an emotional match for the visuals recalling the family’s painful backstory. But melodically, they just haven’t taken hold for me the way they have for seemingly everyone else. I wanted them to be funnier, or catchier, or to stick in my head for longer, or else maybe so much exposure to Lin-Manuel Miranda’s arsenal of songwriting tricks dulled their charms for me. They just don’t knock me out, much as I wish they did. Maybe they will someday. With both Encanto and Don’t Look Up, several people have come at me armed with various measures of popularity — the Billboard charts for the Encanto soundtrack, for example, or Netflix’s boasts about the Don’t Look Up streaming numbers, which we’re given no choice but to take at face value — to demonstrate that a review missed the mark. To put it mildly, this is an unconvincing approach: After all, a virtually infinite amount of actual junk has been hugely popular. But I am compelled to reconsider when I see so many people swept up by the magic of something I’d dismissed — when their kids are memorizing every word of every song and asking questions, or when even Glen Weldon’s icy black heart grows three sizes. It cannot be overstated that I — and I’d like to think most reviewers — don’t approach any work of art with the hope of being unmoved by it. We want to be swept away, entertained, delighted, spurred to action, you name it; we want creators to succeed and art to be great, because why wouldn’t we? So when I’m more or less indifferent to something everyone else loves, 1) I have to be honest about what I am and am not feeling; and 2) it feels more than anything else like a missed opportunity. No one wants to be the guy who says The Rocky Horror Picture Show “fails to excite” — and not just because those words have been proven laughably false for nearly 50 years. To miss the boat is to miss out on all the fun everyone else is having, and who wants that? Newsletter continues after sponsor message We Recommend: My New Year’s resolution involved reading books, and reading books is what I’ve done. The latest one I’ve cracked open is How To Be Perfect by Michael Schur, who created The Good Place (among other treasures) and intended this book to serve as a companion piece. Schur isn’t afraid to hit you with actual philosophical concepts, and he’s once again backed up by an actual philosopher in Todd May, but his writing is just as approachable and good-hearted as you think it’d be. Survivor nerds, take note: Season 42 doesn’t start dropping until March 9, but if you’ve already seen all 41 seasons — don’t laugh, we are legion — you should poke around Paramount+ for six (6! VI!) seasons of Australian Survivor and a bonus season of Survivor New Zealand. Most major U.S. reality shows have had overseas and/or Canadian equivalents, and Survivor’s are worthy, well-shot counterparts. (Take note: The episodes and seasons are longer, the casts are bigger, the challenges are too heavily tilted toward strength, and host Australian Survivor Jonathan LaPaglia has clearly watched a lot of Jeff Probst’s early, pre-enlightened years. But it’s still plenty of fun. Watch the seasons in order if you want to avoid spoilers; there are frequent callbacks.) Tori Amos is still inexplicably excluded from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but the legend did just record her first-ever Tiny Desk concert — part of our home-concerts series that’s been tiding us over through the pandemic. And, speaking of Tiny Desk concerts, we just launched the return of our fabulous Tiny Desk Contest to showcase undiscovered talent. Given that past Contest winners have gone on to win Grammys (in the case of three-time winner Fantastic Negrito) or otherwise rule the world (in the case of Best New Artist nominee Tank and the Bangas), you’ll want to keep an eye out — or even enter. Finally, a reminder: There’s a new way to support the show! It’s called Pop Culture Happy Hour+, and it means you’ll get the same episodes, but via a sponsorship-free feed. If you prefer or your circumstances dictate, you can absolutely continue listening the same as before in the regular feed with sponsorships. But if you’re interested, check out your options and figure out a plan that works for you at plus.npr.org/happy. What We Did This Week: Erin Simkin/Hulu On Monday, we surveyed highlights from this year’s virtual Sundance Film Festival with Aisha, Bob Mondello, and Mandalit Del Barco. On Tuesday, Linda and Ayesha Rascoe looked back on the legacy of The Golden Girls — and offered you picks of which PCHH host best corresponds with which Golden Girl. (I’m Blanche, apparently.) On Wednesday, we posted an encore of our conversation about the terrific 2019 film Hustlers with Linda, Glen, Christina Tucker, and me. On Thursday, I was joined by Aisha and Sam Sanders to 1) sing the praises of Janet Jackson; and 2) marvel at how a four-hour documentary could have so little to say about so much. And on Friday, The Core Four™ gathered to discuss our very first Pop Culture Crushes. Linda wrote about the preponderance of TV shows depicting high-profile falls from grace. Glen appeared on All Things Considered to Talk About Bruno — and gracefully declined to excoriate me re: Encanto. And Aisha reviewed Pam & Tommy — a show I have to recuse myself from discussing because it’s written by one of my closest friends, but seriously, I’m very excited about Pam & Tommy. What's Making Us Happy! Every week on the show, we talk about some other things out in the world that have been giving us joy lately. Here they are: What's making Aisha happy: Regina Hall in Scary Movie What's making Glen happy: The Worst Person In The World What's making Stephen happy: Yola’s album Stand For Myself What's making Linda happy: John Darnielle’s novel Devil House Stream your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. Subscribe to Pop Culture Happy Hour+. Your support helps make our show possible and unlocks access to our sponsor-free episodes. What do you think of today's email? 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