“Eat the Rich” is a trend that gained popularity in movies and series, both dramatic and comedic, focusing on criticizing capitalism and analyzing society’s class division. Ah, yes, where the greedy and wealthy shine and the working-class folks scramble due to inequality and politics. And the plot happens when the tables are turned when they fight back to reverse the power with their genius plans to take down the rich folks.
It has been heavily thematized in modern pop culture by gaining popularity since 2019 with movies like Hustlers, Parasite, Knives out, and Ready or Not.
An increase in “Eat the Rich” movies was seen in 2022 with the Knives Out sequel Glass Onion, the exaggerated Palme d’Or victor Triangle of Sadness, and the series The White Lotus, leaving the rich sulking in their misery.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (movie)
The 2022 sequel to Knives Out features the great Benoit Blanc again to crack the case. The wealthy Miles Bron invites his closest capitalist friends to join his faux murder mystery party until he has an actual murder on his hands.
Funnier than the original, the Glass Onion scorn vapid influencers, fabricated intellectualism, and tech posturing. The alliance between the upper class in sanctioning the diabolic impulses of high society. I had fun watching this sequel with its twists and turns, but watching the high and mighty fall was the best plot for this movie.
The White Lotus (series)
The series title is nominative with a luxurious beach resort where wealthy white people vacation, and for some reason, they leave worse off than when they arrived at the location.
Although the execution might appear subtle, its agenda is crystal clear. It could seem somewhat confusing to viewers what the series is trying to achieve. It’s filled with filthy rich people and cheeky pompous rich folks collaborating while sipping cocktails on dark pretentious matters.
Triangle of Sadness (2022 Movie)
Triangle of Sadness is another 2022 movie stabs the 1% from writer/director Ruben Östlund. It also won the Palme d’Or award at the Cannes Film Festival. It is about the Instagram influencer couple embarking on an elite European cruise. After a wild night, there seems to be a catastrophe when the cruise trip for the filthy rich sinks and the high society guests are stranded on a deserted island and become the working class.
The Platform (2019 Movie)
From humor we move on to drama with this science fiction dystopia directed by Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia. The movie, which is on Netflix, was a hit in 2019 when it won the Best Film award at the Sitges Film Festival, and its anti-rich message is evident.
The film starring Iván Massagué imagines a future world in which part of the population is confined to “the hole,” a inhospitable place filled with plants in which food is distributed vertically. Therefore, those on the lower levels receive almost no food, and must search for it themselves.
Don’t Look Up (2021 Movie)
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence, this film by Adam McCay was a brutal success when it premiered on Netflix. It is, again, a high-flying comedy, and its message is not only against the rich, but against society as a whole. However, it is the elites who come off worst.
From the President of the United States (played by Meryl Streep) to a pseudo Elon Musk brought to life by Mark Rylance, this film leaves no rich man with a head.
Parasite (2019 Movie)
But if there is one film that made it clear that the Eat the Rich message is necessary, it is Parasites. The film directed by Bong Joon-ho jumped from South Korea to Los Angeles, winning a well-deserved Oscar for Best Picture.
The film is about a poor South Korean family that, little by little, “parasites” a rich man’s house. All the members of the family are naughtily integrated into the household, each with different roles. But the plot twists are not long in coming.
Succession (Series)
HBO Max is a perfect place for marathons of series about rich people, and Succession is the best example of this. The fiction starring Hiam Abbass and Brian Cox presents several siblings who are heirs to a large company. And, as it could not be otherwise, the death of the progenitor causes them all to fight among themselves to see who gets the best part.
The series has a subtle and wonderful humorous tone, and does not hesitate to present several themes that, linked together, generate a very interesting critique of being a millionaire.
The Menu (2022 Movie)
The latest film to join the list is The Menu, the recently released film starring Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Fiennes and Nicholas Hoult. This time they take the Eat the Rich concept to the kitchen, with a mix between black humor and horror that is, to say the least, surprising.
The film features spectacular performances by the entire cast, but also some funny (and some horrifying) moments that make it an experience to be admired.
What is next for “Eat the Rich” trends
I am excited to see what 2023 will deliver with the comical and dramatic trends as many will; after all, we survived a pandemic that lasted three years!
