Former reality television personality and political figure Spencer Pratt has sharply criticized actor Ryan Reynolds for his condemnation of 1980s nostalgia. Reynolds, while promoting his film "Mayday," described the 1980s as "brutal" and "a f
ing mess," suggesting that nostalgia often glosses over the decade's difficulties.
"When you get far enough away from a time period that’s quite distinct, there’s always a lovely feeling associated with it, almost like you pave over all the trauma with puppy dogs and ice cream," Reynolds told Variety. "The ’80s was a brutal, brutal time for people. It was a f
ing mess, and people forget that."
Pratt countered on X, formerly Twitter, that the 1980s represented a period of "cultural sanity" with clear distinctions between good and evil. He posited that modern Hollywood has shifted towards redeeming villains and anti-heroes, a trend he contrasts with the heroes of 1980s cinema, citing "Top Gun" as an example.
"Hollywood now bends over backwards to redeem wickedness and mental illness," Pratt stated. "Reynolds represents the anti-hero generation, and they are both byproducts of their own creations. Choose your path carefully, young man."
Film critic Christian Toto commented on the exchange, suggesting Pratt's reaction highlights a division in American culture. "Has pop culture’s infatuation with anti-heroes had real-world implications? It’s one thing to follow Tony Soprano or Walter White, but modern films and TV shows are replete with villains we’re asked to cheer on," Toto said.
Toto pointed to recent films such as "Bullet Train," "Hit Man," the "John Wick" saga, and indie productions like "Emily the Criminal" as examples where criminals are portrayed sympathetically. He questioned whether this trend has had a "corrosive effect on the culture."
Toto also acknowledged that no decade is perfect, noting the 1980s faced issues like the AIDS crisis, nuclear war anxieties, and the Challenger explosion. However, he also credited the decade with producing "great pop culture classics" and lacking the "cultural hand-wringing" that he feels burdens contemporary life, calling it "a more simple time."
Theo Wold, a former assistant attorney general and deputy assistant for domestic policy under President Donald Trump, offered a political perspective. "Ryan Reynolds forgot to do some thinking before he took a talking point from his celebrity cocktail hours and debuted it in public," Wold said. "Most of us remember the ’80s, and it was a time when this country enjoyed greater social cohesion and wider individual freedoms than today, with relative economic prosperity."
Wold suggested that Reynolds' Canadian upbringing might have influenced his views, and he criticized the actor for citing the "Cuban Missile Crisis" as a reason for the decade being "brutal" rather than, in Wold's view, "the horrific crimes perpetrated by radical leftists like domestic terrorists Angela Davis and Bill Ayers."
