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Charlie Day is currently doing the rounds to promote the Super Mario Bros. movie, as he plays the role of Luigi in the film. This led him to doing an interview with Sky News for the film, and unfortunately, it results in Day trotting out a tired gaming trope.

In a discussion of how people will respond to the film, Day shared an answer that is sure to sound familiar to gamers who’ve been playing for decades now.

“I think my toughest critic is probably going to be some middle-aged man living in his basement somewhere. But I think my boy is going to be fine with it.”

[Charlie Day]

Gamers living in basements has been an insult for literally decades now, but we’ve certainly heard less of it in recent years. Gaming has gone from a shunned hobby by the masses to something that is very much a part of standard pop culture. Unfortunately, it seems the notion persists in some corners.

It’s pretty surprising to hear Day share this sentiment, as not only is it extremely dated, it was never true to begin with. Even more important is the fact that Day is doing press for the Super Mario Bros. movie. Not exactly a great look to punch down at a portion of the audience who intends to see your film.

Of course, there’s certainly something to be said for adults who take this movie incredibly seriously and pick it apart on a granular level. This isn’t meant to be fine cinema, it’s supposed to be a family-friendly movie that honors the Mario franchise. Hopefully most people realize that, but those who become livid over the movie and hurl insults at the cast and crew are certainly taking things way too far.

Thanks to Deux Michaels for the heads up!

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Comments (6)

hawk

12M ago

I agree with your sentiment.

It may be true that Charlie Day's biggest critic will be a middle-age Nintendo game fan--probably much like myself. But he didn't have to refer to that kind of person in a derogatory way. Most of us have homes and families.


kuribo

12M ago

I don’t think his statement is towards adult gamers in general but towards that one over zealous “actually”type. It reads more like that to me. I think you’re inferring an insult that isn’t there to be honest and taking the (click) bait.

Of course the Sky article is click bating the hell out of it. A lengthy enough interview and that statement almost in the last sentence is what’s used as the title.


khufuthemummy

12M ago

Were people actively criticizing his voice like they have been/were for Chris Pratt? I thought both were good in the movie, so I don’t get why he’s seemingly going on the defensive.


rick-fil-a

12M ago

Unless I'm missing context I don't really see this as being derogatory to adult gamers. This coming from a 31 year old adult gamer (hopefully not quite middle-aged yet though!). I understand basement dwelling being used as an insult for nerds in the past but now I see it used more often to insult hateful trolls online no matter what the target of their ire is.


conangiga

12M ago

Oh, he's clearly wrong. It's not 'living in his basement' but rather 'living in his parents basement'. There you go.


cinemalove0013

12M ago

Hey, I like this article, but I have to ask if dissecting a movie is all that bad. I’m what you call a cinephile and I studied film for most of my life. I like to watch films objectively like look for good stories, acting, directing, technical aspects, etc. I give leeway with a 4 star rating system (3 still being a good score). I know I will give this film a pass. I just hope that people don’t start hating on objective critics. It’s a huge passion for some people. But I will admit I’m no Grace Randolph. That review was garbage.