Nov 2, 2022
‘Harry Styles is criminally bad’ in ‘My Policeman.’
There’s a tripwire between “clever” and “cutesy” when you’re playing off the title of a book or movie in a review.
Avoid it and you’ll look smart or witty. Go one step too far and you’ll fall on your face. Jessie Thompson, a British arts editor, shows you how to avoid the trap in her review of the new Harry Styles movie.
Everything Shortform is a publication for Medium stories 150 words and less. Rapid reads to capture your attention and direct it towards further reading or short expressions readers can gulp down in one bite. Use Everything Shortform to get your point across quickly.
Critic, novelist, award-winning journalist. Former book editor of the Plain Dealer and book columnist for Glamour. Words in NYT, WSJ, and other major media.
