Variety's chief international film critic Peter Debruge was hoping for a little more diversity after watching The Peanuts Movie this weekend. The "wholesome, goody-goody view of childhood emotional challenges" that the Peanuts comics have always showcased as the brainchild of the late Charles M. Schulz is just not progressive enough to Debruge in this new age of modernity. It needed, the critic said, to build upon the "progressive" depiction of tomboy Peppermint Patty and include a "non-white love interest" for the main blockhead himself, Charlie Brown.
In the middle of his lukewarm review, Debruge made the suggested "improvement" that would've made his little liberal heart soar:
Like most classic jokes, “Peanuts” isn’t so much funny as mildly amusing, which is evidently one of the many aspects of Schulz’s legacy that his son Craig and grandson Bryan fought to protect as screenwriters and producers on the film (presumably trumping their genuinely hilarious collaborator, Paul Feig, also credited as a producer alongside co-writer Cornelius Uliano). But a little modernization wouldn’t have hurt, especially in the diversity department. While Franklin remains Charlie Brown’s only brown friend, a non-white love interest would have been as progressive as Schulz’s tomboyish depiction of Peppermint Patty was back in the day.
But more level (block)heads -- and actual fans of the comic -- prevailed and let their thoughts be known in the comments:
"Your suggestion that Charlie Brown fall for a different ethnicity while being a bold progressive move, would somehow seem totally out of place in this movie. The history of Charlie Brown has always been his infatuation with the redheaded girl and to have it any other way would have outraged those who are fans of his legacy. I am all for interracial relationships, since my wife and I are of different races, but not for Charlie Brown. I could see it with another character where a past history had not been established."
"bwahahahah
Playing the race card in a movie review of a live action comic strip will most assuredly have you mentioned in the same breath as Roger Ebert""Ahh, shut up. It’s a kids movie…stop injecting your political correctness into everything."
