Worst Reviews Ever: 'Turning Red' Is a True Period Piece

In the latest edition of “Worst Reviews Ever,” we’re pulling together the best audience movie reviews on the internet. From the funny to the ironic, the truthful to the downright silly, we’re diving into the deep, dark rabbit hole of online movie fandom. Today we turn our attention to Turning Red.

When the Pixar film was released on Disney+ back in March, it drew controversy — not for its quality but rather for its content. For those who are unaware, the story follows a 13-year-old Chinese-Canadian girl in 2002 who, due to a family curse, transforms into a giant red Panda when she experiences any strong emotion. As is very obvious from even the premise, the movie is essentially a big allegory for female puberty. In other words, the film is a true period piece, both literally and thematically.

Surprisingly, this is the first Pixar feature film to be directed by a woman (Domee Shi) and the second to feature an Asian lead. This, along with the fact that the film was dumped on Disney+, made the film an easy target for all of the Marty Stus of the world.

One such critic even went as far as to unfairly criticize the film by saying: “By rooting Turning Red very specifically in the Asian community of Toronto, the film legitimately feels like it was made for Domee Shi’s friends and immediate family members. Which is fine – but also, a tad limiting in its scope.”

Not only did this writer who-shall-not-be-named provide a sexist and borderline racist assessment of the film, but the author and publication were both forced to release apology statements (usually a good sign of legitimacy). Interestingly enough, the attention drawn by this “controversy” was concerning for some parents who felt that topics such as menstruation, sexuality, and parental disobedience were up to parents to handle on their terms.

But what these same parents forgot to think about is that honest stories like Turning Red are natural discussion points that reflect the reality of the female experience. Although the movie holds a 94% critical rating, that hasn’t stopped the users of Letterboxd.com from sharing their honest opinions of the film. With all this in mind, here are the funniest reviews of Turning Red.