The Joy Era : Welcome to the summer of Glen Powell

I'm just as surprised as you...

Hi, hello, howdy. Welcome to the Joy Era! What’s good this week? Let’s dive in! 

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Ok ok ok… it took me a while to get on board… BUT… I am always ready to admit when I change my mind, so I have to confess that I am now fully on board with Glen Powell Summer. 

I’m clearly not the only one… Several posts and profiles lately are all proclaiming: “Welcome to the Summer of Glen Powell.” And, you know what? I think I get it.

“With Hit Man at no. 1 on Netflix, a Twister sequel coming soon, and plenty of other projects in the works, Glen Powell is taking over the movie business. Here’s everything you need to know to get on board.” (Jodi Walker for The Ringer)

Dearest gentle reader, here’s what happened to me: 

I first saw Glen Powell in Hidden Figures (2016), where he played the (small) part of astronaut John Glenn. He’s great in that role– just charming enough that you mostly forget about how much you want to punch him in the face. An important plot point, not enough to steal the spotlight, just enough to remember him. 

The next film I saw him in was The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (2018) where he plays another supporting character who you kinda want to punch in the face! He’s the not-right guy who the main girl has to leave behind in order to gain her true happy ending. It doesn’t help that when she tells him how she really feels, he’s a total jerk about it. Ugh. Again, an important plot point, but not enough to steal the spotlight, just enough to remember him… and not really like him.  

I think Glen Powell really hit his stride and entered mainstream Hollywood consciousness in the summer of 2022 with his role as the cocky pilot Hangman in Top Gun: Maverick. He’s certainly not a villain, but he’s definitely stirring up conflict and friction in the group and specifically with our hero, Rooster (not unlike IceMan and Maverick in the original Top Gun film). Even though he comes through for the team in a big way… I still kinda want to punch him in the face! Sorry— I can’t help it! 

Up until recently, his on-screen roles really played up this obnoxious jock vibe… which is really not my vibe at all.

So, how did I change my mind about Glen Powell? 

Well… um… there is this…

Ok, but really, besides that… there’s, you know, other stuff… like this…

Ok ok ok, but really…

While traveling last week, I ended up watching Anyone But You on the plane and laughed rather more loudly than is polite. It’s a clever adaptation of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing in the style of classic romantic comedies, and I ate it up. Sidebar: there are two truly excellent film adaptations of Much Ado, one from 1993 directed by Kenneth Brannagh and another from 2012 directed by Joss Whedon, both of which I’ve seen many many times. Anyone But You captured the Shakespearean drama and comedy perfectly. Honestly, I rewatched the ending three times on the plane because the closing credits with the cast singing “Unwritten” by Natasha Bedingfield was just pure joy. Glen Powell plays Ben (inspired by Shakespeare’s Benedick) who isn’t exactly a likable character (at first). But neither is Bea (Shakespeare’s Beatrice), to be fair… But somehow, their tension just works? I’m always rooting for them to find their way back to each other, and the resolution at the end feels so emotionally rewarding and their happiness feels hard-won. I love the source material and the adaptations so much, and Anyone But You was just fun.

When I got home, I opened Netflix and immediately stopped my scroll when I saw the new film Hitman, a comedy-drama-thriller-romance starring Glen Powell. Wow, his performance in this film is so versatile! He plays a mild-mannered community college professor who works undercover with the police as a hitman-for-hire. Powell’s fake hitman dons several different personas (not just costumes– wigs, facial hair, accents, the whole thing!) while wearing a wire to gather intel to use in court. Plot twist! He ends up falling for a client with her own secrets, and the movie turns kinda screwball comedy from there. It’s a good time, and I’ll definitely be re-watching it this summer. 

According to Powell himself, this “rewatchability” factor is actually an intentional focus of his current career choices. Fascinating! 

“I find the gamification of the business fun,” he [said]. “How do we make a movie that is rewatched and rewatched over decades?” He cited a half-dozen examples, including “Field of Dreams,” “Training Day” and “Tootsie,” and added, “When a movie is really watchable — engaging enough to captivate generations of people — that’s true cultural power.” … Powell charged forward. “Small, intimate movies are also on my bingo board of things I want to do,” he said. “But rewatchable is an important word. This is where I think actors who want to be serious get it wrong. Flogging yourself and showing how tortured and serious you can be — people often don’t rewatch, which takes all the power out of it.”  (Brooks Barnes for The New York Times)

In the HOT TAKES column for Daily Beast, Kayleigh Donaldson writes: “Glen Powell wants to sell out—and that’s a good thing. The fast-rising Hit Man star made waves by admitting that he wants to be a movie star and work on films that actually make money. Some are irked by this. We’re celebrating!”

I think this profile in The New York Times completely nails what’s so interesting about Glen Powell right now: “He is absolutely willing to play the Hollywood Game.” 

In a town littered with would-be superstars, he’s trying to beat the odds by giving studios what they crave. It’s no coincidence he’s everywhere… Powell has a sharp mind for business, and, at least for now, box office dollars motivate him more than awards. He has also acquired a bit more ruggedness with age, making him a more credible leading man. … “I know it’s a lot,” he told me, speaking of his workload, “but I’m kind of going full-tilt right now for a reason. There is a moment in Hollywood when you have political capital, and you have to spend it before you lose it.” (Brooks Barnes for The New York Times) 

I appreciate– maybe even admire?– this frankly shrewd look at one’s business. It’s the opposite of playing it cool. It’s the opposite of “let’s just see how it goes.” It’s the opposite of “I’m just going with the flow.” It’s open and honest striving for a particular kind of success. “Name it and claim it!” I can respect that— especially since he’s so cheeky about it all. There’s something refreshing about an honest striver. Plus I love that his parents held up signs on the red carpet that say "Stop Trying to Make Glen Powell Happen" and "It's Never Gonna Happen." Clearly, it is happening.

So, yah, I think this very punchable face has grown on me a bit?

Summer of Glen Powell? Ok then. Let’s go!  

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That’s all for now! Thanks for tuning in! Let me know what’s bringing you joy this summer season. And if this content has been joyful and helpful for you, I would love for you to share it with others, and consider buying me a coffee to support my work.

With grace, peace, and much love,

Rev. Alicia