The Popularity Trap: How a Rebel Wilson Comedy Slapped Me Into Adulthood

How a Rebel Wilson comedy exposed the truth about chasing likes and losing yourself along the way

While sitting cosy on a Sunday evening, feeling all warm and snug next to my beautiful lady, I made the rookie mistake most couples should avoid.

“What do you want to watch on Netflix?”

Aaaargh. Why did I ask that?

Cue the doom-scrolling: the silent dance of trying to find something we can both stomach just long enough to distract us from the Sunday Scaries — those creeping thoughts of Monday coming in hot, like a hangover after a good night out.

Here’s the setup: I’m more of an SNLV kind of guy — Sex, Nudity, Language, and Violence — basically the opposite of anything involving a gazebo wedding or a Christmas miracle. My partner? Think Hallmark Channel, but with extra emotional montages. So, we settled on comedy roulette and hit play on something neither of us had strong opinions about: Senior Year.

I owe Rebel Wilson an apology.

Rebel With a Cause

Yes, I’ll always remember her as Fat Amy (with love), and yes, I braced myself for some Hollywood cheese. But as the movie rolled on, I was surprised by the number of emotional truth bombs it dropped…