ARGYLLE is a Disaster | Taylor Swift and Meta Twists Explained

[@AmandaTheJedi]

My head hurts.

[@Dragon_Punk]

For real though

[@melanieg.mendoza6974]

Same

[@billyLego4855]

My head hurts tonight

[@NadeemShekh-uy9zn]

My love sausage is happy😂

[@SeldonnHari]

Thinking about this movie was your first mistake.

[@user-x7dc2pq7n]

The movie feels like it wants to satirize classic spy cliches but with nothing else to say except "they can be weird, right?". Cabin in the Woods is a great example of satirizing something while still adding in your own thoughts and creativity to the genre

[@Malum09]

I don’t even think he was trying that, Vaughn is a die hard fan of Moore era Bond and those were cheesy and over the top.

[@Future_Vantas]

Upvoet for Cabin in the Woods, such a good movie

[@cowboyloverboy]

if she was in love with the guy and she is argylle why didnt she write henry cavill being in love with john cena that would have improved the movie at least a little bit

[@AmandaTheJedi]

that was another question I had but I don;t even remember if I mentioned in anymore

[@MC-yt1uv]

Even a small fake love story between Henry Cavill and John Cena probably would have brought more people into the theaters.

[@disaidra]

I did not even consider that pairing but now I need them in a rom com movie as a couple because that would be hilarious

[@Crystre]

I was confused at first, but the more I thought about it the more I heard you out. Cook youtube commenter, cook your strange but good ideas

[@thatrantinggirl7376]

Ooh that was a small annoyance I had too, I realized that they were supposed to parallel each other and I was kinda looking forward to a little bit of queer campy cuteness but no :(

[@Anynom]

You can do a dance gun battle. You can do a skate on oil fight scene. You can't do both as back to back scenes in the same movie.

[@AmandaTheJedi]

THAT IS HOW I FELT!?

[@SeldonnHari]

Agree to disagree... The oil ice skating made the movie for me.

[@raywilson641]

Watching that scene, I felt like I was hallucinating. Like, only in my wildest dreams could this be considered a rational solution.

[@cb5484]

@@SeldonnHari Yes. I loved how ridiculously over the top this movie was. A dance gun battle and oil fight scene is something you don't get to see ever. I just took the movie for what it was, silly, over the top, camp, and just had a good time laughing.

[@waywardmind]

Mr. and Mrs. Smith meets Equilibrium, yup

[@anastasiaafanasieva2126]

The misuse of the writer’s fake instagram account pisses me off. They could hint at all the spy activity around her: she could notice strange things like people snooping around and drop hints about her worries in insta stories among her other regular posts. Like, arg creators do all of that and more for free!

[@Wanttowrite]

Seriously. The Lizzie Bennett Diaries and vlogs they inspired did it better over a decade ago, and it was probably done with less than a tenth of the budget.

[@kahleeb624]

Can we just admit that the ENTIRE plot literally makes no sense when they point out that her "parents" are the bad guys, meaning the bad guys ALREADY HAD the person they needed and easily could have just held her somewhere but instead decided to pretend to be parents?!?! The bad guys START OUT WITH THE THING THEY ALREADY NEED!!! Ah my heads gona 🤯

[@ArturGlass.C]

Don't forget she worked for the bad guys too apparently so why couldn't they just talk it out in the first place ? They presumably had the same objectives. They literally made it worse for themselves cuz now she was pissed at them and had a reason to betray them.

[@AmandaTheJedi]

yeah that's why I think if they wanted to go this direction, she should have just, disappeared after a mission gone wrong, started a new life, and started writing stories without realizing it was her past she forgot then have baddies track her down. Still issues but... better I think?

[@MC-yt1uv]

@@ArturGlass.C This is what I don't understand. She was already part of their organization. They could have just explained what happened and asked her to try to remember.

[@jurassicstaff8639]

Because getting her to write the novels worked , everything she wrote was giving them the info they needed , the encouragement if the parents would either get almost no info or spark correct information she would put into the novel, but then she got writers block and nothing was working so they " sent people after her"

[@michaelwoodby5261]

Austin Archer has a nearly hour long video breaking down how each twist makes less sense and retroactively ruins everything that came before it. Great video, I'm never watching the movie but I'll watch people flip over how bad it was all day.

[@islasullivan3463]

Honestly I can see a plot twist in another movie being that her and Argyle were siblings and separated when they were young, but ran into each other again when they were spies. That would at least explain why she used him as her stand in? It makes as much sense as anything else in the movie.

[@mikomiko.]

an arg creator would've DEVOURED this concept

[@jasminebrown2591]

I hope we get a Film Theory out of this

[@squidthing]

I still don't understand how people thought this was written by Taylor Swift. I just cannot see her writing something this major (or presumed "major" lol) under a pseudonym with no roll out. If she ever becomes an author I am fully expecting 16 different book covers, page gilding, stickers, bookmarks, a Target exclusive with a different ending etc. Using a fake name to write a song for some ex boyfriend, sure! Using a fake name for a book and potentially losing the chance to be a New York Times bestseller? Hell no. She would never.

[@lyannarhodes5205]

like have we forgotten how business savvy she is. she's a marketing genius and she's been doing this for literal decades! plus she's been very vocal about wanting to direct her own feature film and based on all too well's short film success, when she *does* release a movie written by her, best believe it won't be through any garbled stunt like this 😂

[@osmanyousif7849]

LOL

[@sdsamara]

It stemmed from the confusion on what the book is. They speculated “how could a movie be made from a book that hasn’t been released yet, unless it must be by a big name”. It was so dumb and easily proven wrong soon after the theory was born. Taylor had committed to make a movie with a completely different movie studio. But the promo for the movie was using very obvious faux Easter eggs to elude to Taylor. The thing that annoyed me the most was the Swiftie tik tokers who were happily peddling the “theory” that Taylor was the ghost writer, were so “mad and upset” when it wasn’t her and the “movie creators admitted to using swifties as free promo”.

[@jasonpeet6198]

From what I understand it was the cat since it looks like one of Taylor's cats or the same breed

[@squidthing]

@@emotionallyslutty Huh? Did you mean to reply to someone else? Where am I getting emotional or discussing albums? I made a jokey comment about how she'd never half ass a real book release the way that Argyll team did. Please unclench.

[@800Ms-k6n]

Spy (2015), written and directed by Paul Feig and starred Melissa McCarthy and Jason Statham was the action comedy that Argylle failed was it's trying to be. It's characters were well written, the humor was clever, none of the cast were wasted, the action scenes were great, and it was all done in a budget of $65 million despite the fact that the movie set in different international locations. God that movie is criminally underrated, i highly recommend that movie if anyone hasn't seen it. It was actually THAT good and hilarious particularly from Statham. Spy was the movie that Argylle was trying to be and failed miserably

[@AmandaTheJedi]

I actually haven't caught that one but I will!

[@patrickkelmer6290]

That movie is a true gem

[@MKCassie]

Spy is my ultimate comfort film. Statham is just perfection in it

[@Banana_hamock]

That movie was surprisingly good! Melissa McCarthy is great

[@dannersd9439]

I THOUGHT I WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO LIKED THIS MOVIE YIPPEE IM VALIDTAED🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@pandapotato5121]

I'm just confused as to why this has a Kingsman tie in?? Is this another Kingsman movie because it just feels like fanfiction going "and then the kingsmen are there!!!"

[@AmandaTheJedi]

Because Matthew Vaughn got really into the meta idea and he owns the film rights to Kingsman and can do whatever he wants lol

[@fearlessjones]

Because Kingsmans hardcore tumblr fanbase are fanfiction-writing women. I know. I am one. Lol

[@trinaq]

Henry Cavill should consider firing his agent. He has a lot of charisma, but he keeps selecting the worst roles.

[@Emilia_Inkheart]

truly

[@waywardmind]

Well said

[@taylorwalker7417]

To be fair, the projects all sound amazing on paper. It’s the state of the industry and cutting corners that turn them into train wrecks.

[@sideshowmob]

Really? I find him handsome but not charismatic at all.

[@tasamolic]

​@@sideshowmob I find him both handsome and charismatic, but not a particularly good actor. I've never seen him in a role where he didn't just feel like Cavill playing dress up.

[@juliadandy6019]

Just 5 minutes in, but as it has been said a lot: not having Henry Cavil and John Cena kiss was absolutely the most horrendous part of the movie. Other than that, was a slog and a mess but I had fun, my first time back in theaters after the pandemic

[@TKHaines]

Not a cat person, and yet, even I know you always go back for the cat. Better if you don't forget them in the first damn place.

[@islasullivan3463]

Even in the hunger games they went back for the cat.

[@mildly_nita]

you NEVER leave the cat, what were they thinking…

[@Avrilandosanders]

I went into this movie thinking it was going to be "Stranger than Fiction" but with spy stuff and honestly that would have been cleaner of a plot

[@osmanyousif7849]

I was getting Arnold Schwarzenegger movie vibes like True Lies and Last Action Hero. Heck, while not good, Last Action Hero made the whole story about action and violence becoming REAL in the real-life world much better, than Argylle did.

[@kiyana8928]

That was I was looking for to when I saw it in theaters as well, I wish they could’ve stick to that concept.

[@800Ms-k6n]

I wish filmmakers who are trying to make an original movie with no existing IP could just make an one contained entertaining movie first without having to worry about setting up a huge universe. John Wick, Harry Potter, Star Wars, and Marvel succeed in making a huge universe because they managed to make an one contained movie first, they didn't spent their first movie as a set up for a huge universe yet, the sequel happened because the first movie was an unpredictable success. It's cool that Vaughn has a plan in making a universe but he should've take a step back in making a contained movie first with well written characters before going to his big plans

[@mads7710]

this technically is an original movie. the book came after the movie had already been thought of and put into production. the book was only written to stir up drama and hype for the movie.

[@AttnDefDis_]

I can't speak to John Wick, but that's totally false for both Star Wars and Harry Potter. Star Wars was a huge script that George Lucas had to break up. He didn't just write the first movie, wait for it do well and write the next one. Harry Potter was a wildly successful SERIES of books that started to be adapted to screen before the books were finished. A few proper examples of what you're trying to convey would be Jurassic Park, Terminator or Alien.

[@800Ms-k6n]

@@AttnDefDis_ Harry Potter (the first one) didn't spent half of the movie in setting up sequels as well as in the books because JK Rowling had no idea if her story was going to be a huge success or not, it succeed as a stand alone story first, therefore she can continue her plans in the future in making a larger universe. It was just an unpredictable success if you know what I mean

[@xdarkwolf2255]

​@@mads7710what they're saying is if they make an original movie, focus on making a good contained movie first, a franchise second Which is literally how star wars started. They didn't know they were getting a sequel. A new hope can be watched and enjoyed as it's own contained movie and since it was popular, it turned into a franchise

[@mads7710]

@@xdarkwolf2255 this is literally a cash grab that is not written to be good but instead written to have as many A list celebs as possible in the film. idk why you guys are expecting a great cinematic universe from a movie that got all its marketing off of people thinking that taylor swift wrote it😭😭😭

[@Jarakin]

It's amazing how much of this was screwed up just because these people did not understand the concept of hiring a ghostwriter. Like, its not hard. This is a very establoshed business practice that does exactly what they needed with one one hundredth the complexity of what they actually did.

[@elwisbey6638]

from the clips and ads I saw, I thought they were building up the cat to be the secret agent, or at least being important to the secret agents, aimed at a younger audience and now I can't stop thinking of ways that could be completely hilarious and a much better movie, you could even do the author tie in with a little finagling and have her writing a kid book series about a cat secret agent

[@StrangerDanger1429]

The trailers really felt like they were protecting the cat and that the cat was Argylle

[@TheZenBullet]

I thought it had the key at the start of the synopsis

[@VioletEmbers13]

I watched the KZbinr Austin Archer (his video on it is incredible too) lose his mind over this movie last month and ive got to say that the 11 or 12 plot twists in this movie would do my head in too. BECAUSE WHY ARE THERE SO MANY??

[@allisonlay8388]

Omg, that video made me CACKLE

[@AmandaTheJedi]

I went into this more interested in the weird tie in and twists to the writing, but yeah had I just focused on the movie as usual I definitely would have been in the same box. Every 5 minutes something new was being revealed whether it worked or not

[@wigglemelon8807]

Haven't watched the video yet but just wanted to say that Henry Cavill's hair in this movie *pissed me off*

[@bigbearkat2010]

Keeps reminding me of that Russian guy in the Thomas Jane Punisher movie

[@takoyaki3458]

Reminds me of Kurtis Conner

[@WoobooRidesAgain]

Looks like someone found Paul Pheonix's old hairdo after Tekken left it behind.

[@wigglemelon8807]

@@takoyaki3458 hahaha I hadn’t even thought of that, but accurate

[@wigglemelon8807]

@@WoobooRidesAgain I'M DEAD.

[@EnigmaHarper]

I'm just upset the movie robbed me of the Cavill/Cena kiss I never knew I needed.

[@goldendew5759]

You know, with how much of a joke it has become these days, Supernatural actually did the whole meta-storytelling thing quite well (…until it didn’t)

[@matthewschwoebel8247]

Henry Cavill was a bait-and-switch for screen time vs. promotion, the third act was disjointed at best, and Bryce Dallas Howard was not the actress to carry this role. They needed someone with good comedic timing & noticeable charisma.

[@bigbearkat2010]

Which is odd because except for maybe The Witcher dude has not proven to be a big enough draw to warrant that kind of deceptive marketing.

[@kestreldomann2787]

The whole thing with with Ellie having the killswitch thing, it feels like someone watched the final fight in Captain America: Winter Soldier and went "what if we did this but extremely bad"

[@compassrose1466]

THE CAT SHOULD HAVE HAD THE KILLSWITCH IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE CST FF

[@clownsoftheearth]

With the book they tried to pull a princess bride but failed miserably

[@kristinlinnae372]

I remember seeing the previews and thinking it was a fun idea, this author from her cozy life accidentally stumbling into a world of danger and espionage, especially since liked kingsmen so much but they fumbled this so bad man.

[@JadeReloaded]

The moment I realized that the "pick up partner, put her crotch in your face and spin" dance was the in-universe trendy move, I knew I should not use my brain just lean back and laugh. I had a great time. In hindsight, I should have known as soon as I saw Cavill's haircut.

[@leilasmila]

The advantage of watching this after the Internet has panned it is that you go in with very low expectations and get to be pleasantly surprised! It was a brainless romp that could have been better but I enjoyed it enough.

[@jennigayton3702]

Your passion over protecting the kitty is refreshing 😻 That is all

[@nirman423]

My nerdy heart is screaming why not make the whole 4 meta books into comics instead? That would tie in to the original Kingsman being based on a comic, make the 4 book publishing a bit more streamlined and as a visual media it could translate from movie to script in an easier manner..... Not that any of this would help this movie for really creating enough buzz/money to keep this going.

[@cruztastrophe]

The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996) did female agent with amnesia really well. Coincidentally, it also has Samuel L. Jackson in it.

[@elliekat97]

Oh legit, I really loved that movie and Geena Davis is so good as the lead character.

[@christicat221b]

I knew the movie would flop as soon as i saw what they did to Henry Cavil's hairline 🤮

[@tmntaddict]

1) Your shirt ROCKS. 2)I'd never heard of this movie until I saw the clip of Henry Cavill here and I've still never heard of it. 3)Get some sleep, please.

[@The_Real_Boaz_Priestly]

Stephen King actually successfully pulled off what the author of Argylle tried to do when he wrote himself into the fifth book of The Dark Tower series, Wolves of the Calla, in 2003. It is established in that book that all things serve the beam, and every book he has written is tied together because of a deal he made with the main character, Roland. In later books, Roland and other characters end up in the real world that King inhabits, thus tying both realities together in a cohesive manner. Further, Stranger Than Fiction, starring Will Ferrell, was released in 2006. In that movie he portrays a character who finds out he is being written by an author that kills all of her main characters, which also ties those two realities together in a successful way that the author of Argylle fell WAY short of. I'm sure there are more examples of this kind of fourth wall break where the written world and real world exist side by side, but these are the two I have thoroughly enjoyed both reading and watching myself.

[@bishielurfer]

I really liked Stranger than fiction. It was such a fun concept and they executed it really well

[@RightsForZombies]

Hell, Last Action Hero where Arnold Schwarzenegger discovers he’s a character in an action movie series is better. And it has Charles Dance! And a cartoon cat sidekick! Now I want to watch that again to forget this.

[@ThomasCuerden]

This is just 'The Long Kiss Goodnight' with extra steps.

[@Malum09]

That one was badass, more people should seek it out and watch it.

[@a.gunter2893]

Yes. I was thinking this. Good movie.

[@ramunebradfordtake2710]

THANK YOU! But don't mention this movie because they are just going to remake it and it will be terrible. Lol.

[@junebunchanumbers]

Many, many extra steps.

[@impposter560]

Not every woman deserves a cat, but every cat deserves a Ripley

[@BaileeWalsh]

I've only just started the video but the main character's name being the author's makes me think of the Hawthorne & Horowitz series. It's a meta book series by Anthony Horowitz who puts himself as the main character, investigating crimes with a former detective who was a consultant on crime shows Anthony wrote for, like Foyle's War and Midsomer Murders. He's essentially an ill-equipped Watson to Hawthorne's Sherlock. The books are a great blend of Anthony Horowitz's real life and publication of the books (they exist canonically), fictional murder investigations, plus intrigue of Hawthorne's personal life and secrets. There are 4 books so far. I've read them through listening to the audiobooks and really like them!

[@erinaa9486]

Yes this series is fun! I like Horowitz's writing and mysteries, plus self-deprecating humor. But I read Argyle and it's so bland and boring. Not interested in the movie.

[@osmanyousif7849]

Can we all just agree on two things? 1. The haircut they gave Cavill makes him look like Kenneth Falk from Liar Liar. 2. They literally ripped off a lot of plot elements from two Arnold Schwarzenegger movies: Last Action Hero and True Lies.

[@AmandaTheJedi]

man I kept forgetting to go back and mention the horrendous haircut and weird shirt he had when he was supposed to be in 'handsome argylle' mode

[@osmanyousif7849]

@@AmandaTheJedi , again tell me you don't see Kenneth Falk? "Isn't it true that your relationship with my client is entirely platonic? I OBJECT YOUR HONOR!!!!"

[@bigbearkat2010]

@@osmanyousif7849 I did not see it before, I personally compared to him to that Russian assassin in that Punisher movie but dear God I will now be unable to unsee it.

[@osmanyousif7849]

@@bigbearkat2010 "Is NOT your relationship with my client--- 🫨 Bad baby! Bad baby! Did you never not make LLLLOOOOOOOOO--?! DID YOU!?"

[@Charliebeth]

Maybe mullet argyle is actually Elli/Rachel's older brother who taught her everything he knew before his "apartment death" and he's showing up now for the reveal of the next movie's plot?

[@teagenthetiefling5296]

I thought it was fun but it is just a worse version of Long Kiss Goodnight. I liked the fight scene with all the colored gas but it then didn't need the ice skating scene.

[@grkpektis]

A lot of people say that the worst thing a movie can do is be boring, I disagree. I personally think the worst thing a movie can do is waste potential and this boring POS movie wasted a lot of potential

[@thekrakenwithin6048]

I actually had quite a bit of fun with Argylle. I went to see it with my dad and my sister and we had a blast. Was it ridiculous and over the top? Yes. Did it all make perfect sense? No. But it accomplished its job of being amusing and filling up an evening. Granted, I went in with no knowledge of the weird Taylor Swift stuff and the other prerelease drama, and no expectations based on the director, which probably helped. I might also think that chaotic messes are highly entertaining.

[@pinupgoblin]

Cool! I am not the only person who enjoyed it. I just thought it was a silly romp. I too had like no knowledge of the Taylor Swift/book stuff. I really had no knowledge of it going in at all except one trailer I watched two days before.

[@rightsarentpolitical]

@@pinupgoblin I also thought it was a lot of fun, and ridiculous and entertaining and I too had zero knowledge of the book or Taylor Swift or any of the back story. Maybe there's something to that lol

[@iheartbusterk82]

Yeah, I thought it was campy fun. The best movie ever? No, but certainly not the worst movie ever, which was what a lot of people were/are saying.

[@elisabeckenbauer6656]

I found the ending really annoying because it just kept going and going, then I started to enjoy it again when realized that it was a spy Stucky AU and started making a bunch of stucky references to my best friend with whom I went to see the movie (who also likes stucky)

[@SigridStorjern]

Same! I went with my mom and we both had 0 expectations, had a good laugh at how surreal the whole thing and kept it at that, not everything has to be ultra complicated and dramatic, sometimes you just need to switch off your brain and enjoy a good stupid fun time!

[@ShadowJester88]

I didn't know anything about this movie, except one thing that let me know it was spy related and then to not count out the cat. So I thought it was just gonna be like a Bond-esque comedy that would have Cavill be kind of a bad spy, but his cat was actually the reason he was the "top" spy. This movie is not that....

[@fromthelostdays]

Since we'll probably never get a follow-up to it, I'm just going to assume that in-universe she's secured a movie deal and final scene Henry Cavill is just the actor who's going to be playing Argylle and they're just doing a little marketing stunt where he "crashes" her reading to take some questions about the film.

[@moonglow630]

The Amber Room is one of the biggest lost treasures from WWII. They’ve “re-created” it in the room it was stolen from, but with fake Amber.

[@StephyG728]

Lol I thought Argylle was stupid but fun. Went in with no expectations whatsoever.

[@R0mbVs]

Yeah I walked in just expecting it to be fun. I didn't take it seriously so I enjoyed it.

[@politesse3914]

@@R0mbVs I don't understand how anyone went in expecting a serious movie about a spy with a cat in her backpack.

[@StephyG728]

@@politesse3914 right!!

[@janelist978]

Same!

[@petloverspy]

I didn’t take it seriously, had extremely little knowledge of it, and yet was still disappointed 😂

[@firemanjoe9491]

I adore this woman as much as I tuned out the plot of that movie.

[@Thatchaoticelf]

Thank you Amanda for sticking up for the cats. They’re all we all care about

[@Thatchaoticelf]

I did not expect the swifties to be here this is awkward

[@jamesoniris2647]

I cannot believe people don’t get it- the book is based off the movie. The movie is about a book, so they decided to write a tie in book to hype up the film. I don’t know how it got so complicated

[@Telaryn]

See also, the real world release of "Heat Wave" - the book the main character is writing in the television show "Castle".

[@PokhrajRoy.]

Catherine O’Hara should’ve been the lead honestly

[@helenl3193]

I mean that's almost always true, more O'Hara is always better!

[@zacharyduval8265]

I feel like Matthew Vaughn saw how successful William Goldman and Quentin Tarantino acted regarding the realness of their works, The Princess Bride and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood's Rick Dalton respectively, and said I want to do that, but more complicated.

[@AmandaTheJedi]

I can't remember if it got cut from the video but I had speculated it potentially being more of a Tarantino 'it's connected but no one interracts' type twist but... I feel like Vaughn wants to go all in

[@MC-yt1uv]

Yeah, the whole plot of this is too messy. I think it would have made more sense to have it be that her skill as a spy was the ability to fully adopt the persona of another person in order to infiltrate an organization or gain people's trust. So for a mission, she gets spy movie-level plastic surgery and adopts the persona of a struggling writer/waitress who is really trying to gain the confidence of a regular at the cafe she works for. She gets the information she needs but when she goes to turn in the info her spy cell is attacked. She gets injured, and everyone that knew what fake persona is killed, and the records are destroyed in the fight. She wakes up later and due to movie amnesia she falls back into the fake persona she created. As the waitress, she writes a spy thriller which is an immediate hit and tips off everyone that she knows real secrets. Instead of her working on book 5 she is just working on the first sequel. The multiple plot twists make no sense. If Elly was working for the Division why did the Division brainwash her and turn her into a writer? Rather than just telling her what happened and asking her to try to remember.

[@chronicallykat4920]

The rage about the cat is why I watched this video. I knew you wouldn't fail the cat. Unlike some people. Also I made the same R Kelly joke you did about this movie. I feel vindicated

[@saltywriteralex]

11:52 Um, excuse me Amanda, have you not watched Spy Kids??? Tisk, tisk. Spies fall in love all the time, actually 😂

[@UNSTABLE111]

I actually liked this movie to be honest..There were some very audacious action scenes, and outlandish twists, but I didn't feel like I wasted my time and they used the best Snow Patrol song for a great scene...which was a big win for me...but I can see why people didn't like it (maybe its a bit too twisty and silly for even an average movie goer)..I also knew that Henry Cavil was gonna be a supporting role, so I didn't feel duped..it also helped that the trailers kind of sucked for this film..so I went it with low expectations

[@dannietea]

I saw the “Movie Breakdown” timestamp and for a split second thought it said “Mental Breakdown” and I just accepted it.

[@labbaby189]

Movies that rip their plots directly from South Park never end well.

[@kbrennan3836]

It blows my mind that anyone would've thought Joanne had anything to do with a franchise where the female main character imagines herself as a man.

[@SingingSealRiana]

😂😂😂

[@NadeemShekh-uy9zn]

Id love to see another Matthew Vaughn X-Men movie

[@deedeelong9043]

I wanted this movie to be good SO BAD - a modern Romancing the Stone! Sam Rockwell! I knew it was doomed when I saw the release date but still was hoping it could defy expectations. My disappointment is immeasurable.

[@philopharynx7910]

When I saw the thumbnail pop up, I thought, "The only way I want to see anything discussing this crapfest of a movie is through many layers of top-quality snark." So thank you for providing the sharp wit that this movie utterly lacked.

[@AHealthyDoseofFran]

It gave the Red Riding Hood 2010 movie, where they made a movie and decided to have someone write a book that they'd release two months before the movie so they could call it a book adaptation cause that was all the rage in 2010

[@hippomatrix]

I went to see this movie on $5 discount day at my local theater with no expectations or background knowledge and really enjoyed it. I loved the level of absurdity and ridiculous number of plot twists. The ‘romantic’ smoke-filled fight sequence where they did the whirly bird had me laughing so much. And the oil skating sequence??? Peak comedy.

[@iheartbusterk82]

Yeah, I don’t feel like we’re supposed to see that as being all badass, but instead campy fun, which it absolutely was.

[@samhitag1436]

I been waitin for this one … turn it up

[@katburgess5926]

I was expecting a Madame Web joke and was not disappointed.

[@thomaslake7978]

Good LORD, thank you for making this video--like you, I had considered seeing Argylle from early trailers because it looked cute/fun and undeniably has a stacked cast! Crazy that they fumbled it so badly.

[@whatashameofthat]

I admire how much effort you put into reading and analysing everything, I was just like "NOPE." after finishing the movie

[@ndawn90]

I know this isn't a huge point, but why did they have to use a Scottish Fold for the cat? If you didn't know, the gene that gives the Scottish Fold their floppy ears also gives them a cartilage disorder that essentially causes them to develop joint pain. Of course, individual cats can vary on how much this disorder effects them on a day to day basis, but intentionally breeding an animal for a single aesthetic trait when that trait is also going to come with a lifelong health condition that has a massive potential to cause the animal significant pain and mobility issues over the course of its lifetime feels extremely unethical to me. I sincerely hope that there isn't a spike in people acquiring Scottish Folds because of this movie without doing a ton of research into the breed first, like how a bunch of people bought Dalmatians after "101 Dalmatians" or people buying huskies after GoT without realizing that those breeds have very specific needs that not every person is equipped to give to them. If you think that Scottish Folds are cute, look into Scottish Straights instead. They don't have the folded ears, but they do have those cute big eyes, and they are generally a healthier breed.

[@larra468]

Please do a video on Lisa Frankenstein, it's such a blast

[@kp7032]

It has hints of Romancing the Stone as well…

[@archivodejimmy6993]

"I'm joking, don't kill me. I love her too" was the funniest part of the first 7 mins xD

[@galimim]

The "Wait, but there is more!!" the movie

[@surelychordophonic]

The moment Caville didn't do a sick kickflip after hitting a speed bonus on that jeep grind, I knew I wasn't going to have a good time.

[@AmandaTheJedi]

I was having a blast until they left the cat behind, then they get to the place for the files and it just totally lost my attention. And I love a lot of stupid over the top movies

[@annaryan4225]

I knew there was a reason I didn't see this! Animals being placed in perilous situations for comedy makes me anxious. People who abandon their pets just tick me off.

[@LennyCartwright]

I think they thought that by throwing every spy movie trope in one movie was a proper satire, but it was just exhausting and tired.

[@roros9422]

The Kingsman tie-in broke me a little

[@digapygmy70]

It would have been really funny if TS actually did write Argylle, but because the reception was so bad, she and Vaughan scrambled to find some random author to take the credit 😂 But no, her name would absolutely be plastered all over anything she puts out, even if it sucks.

[@Ashleighchubbybunny]

Amanda, this is by far one of my favorite videos from you. And YES, THE CAT.

[@Loggodover]

So... Mathew Vaughn planned to tie in the movie with Kingsman, and then cast Samuel L Jackson and Sophia Boutella in Argylle? Also no one in Argylle mentions the fact that the world almost ended and every drug user ever almost died? (And also Elly's "mom" mentions drugs and doesn't mention the fact that poppy almost killed millions of drug users?) Edit: they also didn't mention the fact that every world leader's head exploded?

[@ryanwright1224]

I really appreciate this deep dive. I heard some rumors but didn’t realize how far it went.

[@Pa3ciaxD]

I personally thought the movie was a hoot. To be fair I somehow managed to avoid all of the marketing and the surrounding craze... I came for what I thought was gonna be another ok-ish spy movie with an added bonus of a cat and got caught so of guard. I ended up laughing so much. Also it felt refreshing to see a comedy that doesn't relly on toilet humour... Nevertheless, despite the fact that i had so much fun watching it in the theatre, I did just end up taking it at face value, I was not taken in by the plot enough to put in the effort of research despite the fact that the end did leave me more than puzzled. So I guess that speaks for itself, loved the humour, but the plot? Not so much. Kinda forgettable without experiencing the whole mistery around it I guess. Also my pet owning brain immediately turned on the protagonists after they left the cat. I'd burn down the building if it meant saving my dog. Fvck'em both for leaving Alfie behind. P.S.: Love seeing Amanda spiral the longer the video goes on, lol. Great job with the video btw, loved it. I learned so much :D

[@emilybroderick2421]

When I was watching, I thought the twist was going to be that the evil spies were implanting info into Elly's subconscious so she could incubate the ideas and figure out what they needed to do. I thought the seeds at the start about Elly doing a lot of research and making really strong educated guesses meant that she was just a genuinely talented writer and they chose her to harness that. I really liked everything they were doing up until the twist reveal. It was fun and funny and I liked the characters. I was... okay with the second half, but I think my idea would have played out better

[@christifiedword933]

It's actually so frustrating that they tied the Kingsman universe into it. I am not saying the movie or book was good but at least it could have been new. It was honestly so refreshing to hear about a new universe- until the Kingsman got mentioned. It's so exhausting how almost every movie these days are tie-ins to another franchise or a spin off or a sequel or whatever. I honestly believe that if they left it on its own, didn't pull the Kingsman into it, it would have been better. At least, not as frustrating.

[@NormaBeltran-ok4ld]

I was ecstatic when I saw the trailer, it just plummeted from there during the movie

[@sportswithlitty]

The film is just The Lost City but a spy thriller without any of the charm or camp. I was sat hre listening to Amanda explain the plot and just thinking "I saw this movie, I have seen these first act plot beats but it had Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum in it"

[@2yaff]

wtf, i literally thought the same

[@JTonyArts]

Everything after the first reading scene and her call to her mother is not reality, until the second reading. It is all in Ellie’s head. The second reading is the Wizard of Oz where Dorothy wakes saying “and you were there! And you were there too.”

[@bluesheepwolfie307]

I feel like they overcomplicated the plot when it could've been as simple as "Agent with amnesia writes books based on vague memories she thinks are inspiration but the agents that were hunting her down realize 'hey, this is classified shit that only one person should know about, why does she know' and start to go after her, ergo the agents from her side try to get to her first." Hell if you wanted a twist you could make it so the "bad" agents coming after her were actually the agents on her side but the antagonists convince her that those people are the evil agents coming after her. It'd make more sense for them to get her to cooperate that way then having fake parents. It would also make the book tie in more interesting because it's book 1, starting from the start of her memories as an agent, and reading it you go "oh so this is what she was like before and how it started" if you read into the text of the fictional mc she made up actually being HER. And if you wanted it'd make a kingsman tie in kind of more interesting that way rather than this clusterfuck of confusion

[@loykdoyk]

Whenever I read or hear about an interesting film - from mainstream blockbuster to obscure indie - and I head to Letterboxd to add it to my watchlist, I find you've already seen it. Your dedication is very impressive 😅 suppose you travel a lot to catch early screenings at festivals and the like? How you still find time to make youtube videos is beyond me. Keep it up. Really enjoy your content ❤

[@saveme-j9p]

one thing (of many) that didn't track for me was, why was the division blowing her up/brainwashing her if she was a (from their POV) double agent working for them?? why try to trick this info out of her when they figured she was about to come turn it in to them??

[@simplebeauty120]

Thanks for calling me broke right before your ad Amanda 😂😂

[@songbird6414]

That was so funny what you said about BDH not being believable bc as a writer who recently shared a fairly major project with some friends, that’s EXACTLY almost verbatim how I felt. Tone and everything.

[@eileen1020]

22:07 That's a weird plot choice seeing as the Amber Room resconstruction was completed in 2021 after 23 years of work.

[@ad-sd-vids5332]

I 1000% guarantee there is no such thing as a vascular corridor in a human heart that you can shoot a bullet through without causing severe life-ending damage

[@corinalake2313]

Yesss! The deep dive on Argylle I just realized I needed more than anything

[@TaniDraws]

Another issue I had with this film is how it could possibly increase the desire for the Scottish Fold cat breed, a breed that is unethical due to the genetic affliction that causes their cute folded ears also afflicts the rest of the cartilage in their bodies, causing progressive chronic joint paint - and you cannot get those folded ears without the ailment, basically (they've been banned in the Netherlands for that reason)

[@Pamplemoussedesmers64]

9:32 Nice reference to Love Lies Bleeding there

[@nelavlasakova331]

The treatment of that poor cat by the main character is so outrageous. Only movie about Henry Cavill with cats will right this.

[@TangentialTif]

I feel like this is what happens when a person thinks they are clever and introduces their grand puzzle to the internet only to have it quickly unraveled. Get a person whose special interest is puzzles or mystery stories to give your idea a once over. Your first idea shouldn’t be the last idea.

[@Jayk-kz7sh]

Just to save Amanda the trouble about reading "I am Pilgrim" by the writer of argylle since she mentioned she would like to read it, please don't. It's a 600 page slog fest of boring main spy character, overt sexualization of any female character introduced, and far too much "America good, islam bad" to write off as the main character having bias and you start to question if the author is just trying to get something off his chest. I agree it sucks for a creator to have their work stuck in movie production limbo, but any movie that used that source material would have a lot of work to make it into a compelling spy movie series

[@arocknrolldream]

I knew nothing about the movie (aside from the occasional mobile ad) going into this video and getting hit with all this information at once makes me feel like I'm being gaslit

[@lilavrillover]

Now I just need to rewatch Kingsman but I found Argyle a fun popcorn movie but boy I went on opening weekend to a theater in downtown Toronto and there were maybe 7 people in the whole theater