*The new Netflix film “Leave the World Behind” hasn’t been out long, but it’s already generating discussion among those at Fox News.
In the eyes of the network’s hosts, the feature is an example of former president Barack Obama’s dislike of white people, according to The Daily Beast.
Set in a post-apocalyptic world, “Leave the World Behind” stars Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke, Mahershala Ali and Kevin Bacon. The film, produced by Obama’s Higher Ground Productions, is an adaptation of the 2020 bestselling book of the same name. It centers around a family who go on an impromptu vacation to a house they rent in Long Island. The vacation soon turns into anything but as the owner of the house and his daughter return unexpectedly. As the film continues, a situation emerges with the gradual shutdown of phones, television, and other extensively used technology, leading to dire circumstances
Since its release, “Leave the World Behind” has received mixed reviews with some criticizing the thriller’s storytelling, pace and ending while others praised it overall. Among those criticizing the film are Fox News mainstays Kayleigh McEnany and JesseWatters as well as “Fox & Friends” co-host Steve Doocy and Lawrence Jones.
At the heart of their criticism is a scene in “Leave the World Behind” where Ruth (played by Myha’la Herrold), the daughter of Ali’s character G.H., talks to him as it looks like society is fully collapsing. During the conversation, Ruth turns to her father, saying the following line:
“Remember that if the world falls apart, trust should not be doled out easily to anyone, especially white people,” she tells G.H. “Even mom would agree on that.”
Upon hearing Ruth’s remarks, right-wing Twitter users instantly made their feelings known about the scene, labeling it as “anti-white racism.” Reaction to the clip, coupled with comments from “Leave the World Behind” director Sam Esmail saying Obama “gave extensive notes” on the film’s plot and characters has given fuel to opposition to “Leave the World Behind” and the former commander-in-chief.
“This scene in particular is being singled out for sowing racial divide,” Emily Compagno, co-host of Fox News’ “Outnumbered” stated while voicing concern about Obama’s involvement in the film’s production.
Compagno’s colleague McEnany joined in on the discussion about Obama, saying she’d “love to know” whether he “was OK” with that line because that “would be a huge problem.”
“It seems to me a major headline when—that’s critical race theory in a nutshell. You are an oppressed or an oppressor based on the color of your skin,” McEnany expressed about a connection between “Leave the World Behind” and the hot-button issue. “That is the ideology represented by that line. Well, why is that not a headline in all these major newspapers?”
“I went to Google News and the Variety headline was ‘Barack Obama sends script notes for Netflix’s new disaster, leaving people scared,’ ‘Barack Obama gave major feedback on the Leave the World Behind script’ she continued. “I’m noting that when he advised on how the end of the world would look, the director got scared. That’s the headline! Why isn’t the headline… the former president reviewed a script embedded with this racist line and how did it get through?!”
Although the criticism was strong, the kicker was later revealed that McEnany admitted to not seeing “Leave the World Behind” and having no plans to check out the film for herself.
“I have a lot of movies to see before that one,” the former Trump administration White House press secretary said. “I won’t be seeing it.”
McEnany’s revelation followed Fox News correspondent Molly Line’s admission that she hadn’t seen “Leave the World Behind.” In light of that, Line stated that she may be missing context from that specific scene with Ruth. Line went on to share what most critics suggested about the thriller in that it is more a “critique of how dependent” society is on technology, instead of it being an examination on race and culture.
Obama’s current stint of working on films was further addressed on Fox News via an entire segment on “Jesse Watters Primetime.” To hear Watters tell it, the 44th president is jamming “racial politics” into his productions.
“How do you want to spend your retirement? Maybe play a little golf. Grandkids. Not the Obamas. The community organizer can’t stop, won’t stop,” he commented. “The Obamas coasted into retirement and now identify as Steven Spielberg.”
Going in on Ruth’s “white people” line, Watters described the remark as Obama wanting to “talk about race and white privilege.
Over at “Fox & Friends,” Doocy joined his fellow “Leave the World Behind” critics. But like McEnany and Line, Doocy and his co-hosts also confessed to not seeing the feature yet.
“We have not seen the movie yet,” Doocy said. “Because it just came out on Friday. There are some people who are saying, you know, those comments are taken out of context, but nonetheless, other people are out there on the interwebs talking about how it had their ears perk up.”
Reiterating that he hadn’t seen the movie, Jones said Ruth’s line “on its face is discriminatory”
“I think there are certain people that kind of put gasoline on the fire,” he concluded. “I don’t know the intentions of the president and the former first lady. I’m just saying as someone that was the president of all of America, that line probably stinks to other people, you know?”
“Leave the World Behind” is streaming now on Netflix.
MORE NEWS ON EURWEB: Obamas Produced ‘Leave the World Behind’ Most Watched Movie on Netflix – Unsatisfying Ending Explained
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