Why was Jonah Hill and Lauren London’s kissing scene in You People created entirely with CGI?
In what might be officially the most awkward moment of 2023—bar Ben Affleck’s insanely miserable face during the Grammy awards—fans have noticed that a smooch captured during the recent Jonah Hill and Lauren London rom-com was created entirely by computer-generated imagery (CGI).
You People was released on Netflix on 20 January and quickly began to trend online. It was predicted to be a big success among rom-com loving gen Zers, backed by a star-studded cast including Eddie Murphy, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Nia Long—alongside Hill and London. However, the flick that was set to explore “modern love amid culture clashes” has been bashed for its cringey moments and awkward approach to interracial relationships.
Moreover, the future’s not looking much brighter for the recent release. After having already heavily slammed the film’s writing, audiences’ attentions were then diverted towards a smooching scoop at the end of the movie. And considering one of the biggest critiques of the film had been the lack of chemistry between the movie’s two protagonists, this revelation shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone.
Comedian and actor Andrew Schulz recently revealed the juicy lip-locking insight on his podcast Brilliant Idiots. Schulz, who stars in the film, stated: “I don’t even know if I should share this shit, but in the final scene, they don’t even kiss. It’s CGI. Swear to God, son.”
ayo is it true 🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/hIsvHvZTJq
— mickey-L (@abraha_mikiele) February 4, 2023
The performer continued, “I’m there, I’m watching the wedding, and I see them go in for the kiss and their faces stop like this far.” Schulz then put his hands apart to show the distance that he had witnessed between Hill and London.
Pretty quickly after Schulz dropped the news, Twitter began to go feral, replaying the scene over and over to capture the precise moment where the two stars’ lips touch… or don’t touch? I’m no cinema expert, but it does look as though Hill and London’s faces mesh together in a very unnatural and artificial way.
One user hypothesised that London might be uncomfortable kissing Hill following her husband Nipsey Hussle’s tragic death in 2019: “Maybe [London’s] not ready for acting again cause this shit right here looks crazy and no one has time for it. I could tell she was a bit uncomfortable and unsure of herself throughout the movie.”
While another netizen reaffirmed others’ thoughts on the matter, stating: “They had no chemistry. There was an obviously notable lack of affection between a couple that’s supposed to be in the early stages of being in love. So it isn’t shocking that they would CGI the final kiss.”
They had no chemistry. There was an obviously notable lack of affection between a couple that’s supposed to be in the early stages of being in love. So this isn’t shocking that they would CGI the final kiss.
— Keisean Raines (key-sean + ray-nz) (@keisean_raines) February 5, 2023
That being said, isn’t that part of the job? You know—to act. Either way, it’s highly unlikely that You People will be making it into the Best Picture category at next year’s Oscars ceremony (unless it’s in the CGI kissing department of course).
